MYTHS  AND 

LEGENDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 
NORTHWEST 

ESPECIALLY  OF  WASHINGTON  AND  OREGON 


SELECTED    BY 

KATHARINE    BERRY  JUDSON 

1\ 

AUTHOR  OF  "  MONTANA,  'THE  LAND  OF 
SHINING  MOUNTAINS'" 


WITH  50  ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS 


Of   THE 

[  UNIVERSITY   ) 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO, 
1910 


UBRAisiAN'S  FUKD 


COPYRIGHT 

A.  C.  MCCLURG  &  Co. 
1910 


Published  October  i,  1910 


E'J? 


THE    UNIVERSITY    PRESS,   CAMBRIDGE,   U.S.A. 


or  THE 
UNIVERSITY 

Of 
R 


PREFACE 

IN  the  days  of  the  first  grandfather,  when  the 
earth  was  young,  the  Indian,  armed  only  with 
stone  knife,  stone  hatchet,  and  bows  and  arrows, 
found  himself  confronted  with  the  work  of  Some 
One  far  greater  and  stronger  than  himself.  This 
Power,  or  Powers,  for  there  came  to  be  many  of 
them,  had  uplifted  snowy  mountain  peaks,  had  cut 
deep  canons  through  the  solid  rock,  had  carved  out 
mountain  passes,  and  had  blocked  the  passage  of 
mighty  rivers  by  great  rocks  and  bowlders.  These 
Powers  were  strong  and  brutal.  They  had  enormous 
strength  and  men  of  only  human  size  were  their 
prey,  as  helpless  as  "flybug"  under  the  heel  of  the 
Indian.  Tatoosh,  the  Thunder  Bird  who  lived  in 
the  sky,  was  one  of  these  Powers.  He  shook  the 
mountains  with  the  flapping  of  his  wings.  The 
flashing  of  his  eye  was  the  lightning.  He  caught 
great  whales  instead  of  salmon  for  food.  Only  by 
crumbling  a  rock  into  powder  so  small  that  he  could 
not  even  see  it,  could  he  secure  a  piece  small  enough 


214925 


PREFACE 

for  the  Indian  to  use  as  a  salmon  spear.  Because 
Tatoosh  is  so  terrible  and  the  enemy  of  red  men, 
his  picture  is  painted  and  carved  on  their  houses, 
their  canoes,  and  canoe  paddles,  indeed  everywhere, 
to  soften  his  anger.  Often  Tatoosh,  as  shown  in  the 
photograph  of  the  Chilcat  blanket,  is  represented  by 
a  single  eye — the  terrible  eye  that  flashes  fire.  There 
is  no  beneficent  deity  among  these  Indians  of  the 
Northwest.  Sahale  does  not  represent  the  same  idea 
as  that  of  Manitou,  the  Great  Spirit,  among  the 
eastern  Indians.  Yet  Tyhee  Sahale,  along  the  Col- 
umbia River,  and  Old  Man  Above,  among  the  Cali- 
fornia Indians,  represent  the  clearest  idea  of  a  single 
governing  spirit  living  in  the  sky.  But  they  are  not 
sure  of  his  friendship.  Among  most  of  the  tribes, 
on  the  other  hand,  there  is  an  utter  lack  of  any 
friendly  deity,  as  among  the  Blackfeet,  of  Montana, 
with  whom  Old  Man  is  simply  a  trickster,  half 
human,  who  nearly  always  gets  the  worst  of  it  in 
his  encounters  with  Coyote. 

So  the  Indian  felt  powerless  against  the  gods  who 
made  the  earth — the  forces  of  nature  which  he  could 
not  understand.  In  his  helplessness,  he  was  influenced 
by  the  animal  life  he  saw  about  him.  In  the  trage- 
dies of  the  forest  he  saw  the  weaker,  smaller  creatures 
escape  the  larger  ones  only  by  cunning.  So  must  he 


VI 


PREFACE 

by  cunning  escape  the  anger  of  the  gods.  The  crafty 
animals  became  his  earth  gods  and  in  time  his  helpers. 
Coyote,  the  weakest  but  craftiest  of  all  the  animals, 
became,  on  the  coast,  "the  chief  of  all  the  animals/' 
Fox  ranked  second. 

The  adventures  of  Coyote,  like  those  of  Yehl,  the 
Raven,  of  Alaska,  are  "  so  many  that  no  one  could 
tell  them  all."  Professor  F.  S.  Lyman,  however, 
groups  them  around  three  or  four  main  heads :  the 
theft  of  fire,  the  destruction  of  monsters,  the  making 
of  waterfalls,  and  the  teaching  of  useful  arts  to  the 
Indians. 

Now  the  animal  people  lived  before  the  days  of 
the  first  grandfather,  long,  long  ago,  when  the  sun 
Was  new  and  no  larger  than  a  star,  when  the  earth 
was  young,  and  the  tall  firs  of  the  forest  no  larger 
than  an  arrow.  These  were  the  days  of  the  animal 
people.  People  had  not  "  come  out "  yet. 

"  Then  Coyote  said,  *  I  want  it  to  be  foggy/  So 
it  was  foggy.  Then  all  the  people  came  out.  No 
one  saw  them  come.  Coyote  said,  '  I  want  the  sun 
to  shine/  So  the  sun  shone  and  the  fog  drifted  away. 
Then  the  people  were  there.  No  one  saw  them 
come  out." 

But  with  people  there  must  needs  be  fire. 

Where  did  fire  come  from  ?     This  question  which 


Vll 


PREFACE 

has  puzzled  every  tribe  and  nation,  each  has  solved 
in  its  own  way.  With  the  Greek,  as  with  the  red 
man,  fire  was  first  only  on  a  mountain  top,  carefully 
guarded  as  a  precious  possession,  and  to  be  secured 
only  by  theft.  Among  the  Greeks,  a  god  took  pity 
on  shivering,  unhappy  mortals.  Among  the  Indians 
it  was  an  animal  god,  usually  Coyote,  who  stole  it. 
With  both  peoples,  mountains  were  the  homes  of 
supernatural  beings.  A  comparison  between  Greek 
and  red  men  may  seem  far-fetched  to  Greek  scholars, 
yet  there  is  a  striking  similarity,  and  it  is  one  which 
is  of  peculiar  interest  to  those  who  live  within  full 
view  of  the  wonderful  "White  Mountain/'  Olympus, 
rising  above  Homer's  "sounding  sea"  on  which  rode 
the  "black  ships,"  was  peopled  with  the  immortal 
gods.  Takhoma,  lifting  its  snowy  head  above  the 
waters  of  Whulge  on  which  rode  the  frail  Indian 
canoes,  was  the  home  of  the  dreaded  tomanowos. 
With  both  peoples  the  mountains  were  sacred.  Ava- 
lanches and  volcanic  eruptions  on  Takhoma  were 
caused  by  the  tomanowos  and  nothing  could  tempt 
the  red  man  to  climb  high  above  the  snow  line.  If 
encamped  below  it,  the  Indian,  awakened  in  the  dark- 
ness by  the  sound  of  falling  ice  and  snow,  started  from 
his  blanket  and  sang  a  dirge-like  song  to  appease  the 
wrath  of  the  spirits.  Takhoma  was  associated  with 


Vlll 


PREFACE 

mystery  and  danger.  No  red  man  dared  risk  the  fate 
of  the  miser. 

Indian  nomenclature  has  been  used  entirely  in  this 
volume,  since  the  myths,  of  course,  date  far  back  of 
the  coming  of  the  white  man.  In  due  time,  it  is  be- 
lieved, the  Northwest  will  again  come  to  use  the 
beautiful  Indian  names  instead  of  the  commonplace 
ones  given  by  the  whites.  There  is  no  good 
reason  why  Kulshan,  "The  Great  White  Watcher/' 
should  be  called  by  the  prosaic  name  of  Mount  Baker. 
Still  less  reason  is  there  for  calling  Takhoma,  "  The 
White  Mountain/'  by  the  name  of  an  English  admiral 
(Rainier)  who  never  saw  the  mountain  and  never  came 
into  the  Northwest.  Many  Indian  names,  it  is  true, 
have  been  preserved,  but  the  fate  which  the  beautiful 
mountain  peaks  along  the  coast  have  suffered  give 
reason  for  congratulation  that  Umatilla,  "Wind- 
drifted  Sands,"  escaped  being  called  "Sand  Hole," 
and  that  Chelan,  "  Beautiful  Waters,"  is  not  on  the 
map  as  "  Long  Lake." 

The  exact  meaning  of  "Takhoma"  is  in  dispute.  It 
is  given  as  "  The  White  Mountain  "  and  also  as  the 
"Fountain-breast  of  Milk-white  Waters."  As  In- 
dian nomenclature  was  governed  by  the  most  striking 
physical  feature  of  the  thing  named,  be  it  man  or 
mountain,  the  simple  directness  of  "The  White 


IX 


PREFACE 

Mountain"  seems  to  the  writer  to  be  more  truly 
Indian.  The  most  striking  thing  about  Takhoma, 
as  seen  on  any  sunny  day,  is  its  intense  whiteness. 
It  is  gloriously  white,  dazzling,  as  it  lifts  its  head 
fifteen  thousand  feet  from  the  sea  level  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  into  the  deep  blue  sky.  Therefore 
the  more  expressive  interpretation  has  been  preferred. 

The  basis  on  which  these  myths  were  selected 
necessarily  excluded  those  which  showed  traces  of 
the  white  man's  religion  or  of  the  red  man's  coarse- 
ness. Relatively  speaking,  only  a  few  myths  could 
be  selected.  These  were  the  creation  myths,  the  ori- 
gin of  the  races,  the  theft  of  fire,  the  salmon,  and  espe- 
cially those  connected  with  the  physical  features  of  the 
country,  such  as  those  of  Takhoma,  Shasta,  the  Co- 
lumbia River,  and  the  group  of  mountains  of  the 
bridge  of  the  gods.  The  collection  grew  out  of  an 
effort  to  find,  simply  for  personal  amusement,  a  com- 
plete and  authentic  account  of  the  legend  of  the 
bridge  of  the  gods.  It  is  one  which  is  well  known, 
yet  I  had  difficulty  in  finding  it,  and  the  search  re- 
vealed many  quaint  local  myths  that  were  practically 
inaccessible  to  the  general  reader. 

No  claim  is  made  for  original  work  in  this  volume, 
except  with  regard  to  the  selection  of  the  myths 
and  the  rewriting  of  several  in  which  the  Indian 


PREFACE 

simplicity  and  directness  had  been  destroyed  by  at- 
tempted witticisms,  by  philosophical  remarks,  or  by 
wordy  explanations.  A  consistent  effort  has  been  made 
to  tell  these  stories  as  the  Indians  told  them.  Some  of 
the  legends,  such  as  the  "  Duration  of  Life,"  "  Old 
Grizzly  and  Old  Antelope,"  and  the  "Robe  of 
Kemush "  are  almost  literal  translations  from  the 
Indian,  as  recorded  by  government  ethnologists. 
With  regard  to  the  use  of  the  name  "  Kemush,"  it 
may  be  remarked  incidentally  that  this  is  a  popular 
and  abbreviated  form  of  the  name  "K/mutkmitch." 
Neither  is  this  volume  intended  to  be  a  very  serious 
or  a  learned  one.  It  is,  however,  authentic.  All 
myths  for  which  a  responsible  authority  could  not  be 
found  have  been  rejected.  The  chief  sources  of 
information  used,  by  permission,  were  the  ethnological 
reports  of  the  Government,  of  learned  societies,  and 
such  publications  as  "  The  American  Anthro- 
pologist" and  "The  Journal  of  American  Folklore." 
The  work  of  such  ethnologists  as  Franz  Boas,  John  R. 
Swanton,  and  Albert  S.  Gatschet  has  been  freely  used. 
Indebtedness  is  also  acknowledged  to  Professor  W. 
D.  Lyman  and  Professor  F.  S.  Lyman,  to  the  work 
of  Hubert  Howe  Bancroft,  and  to  the  writings  of 
Louise  McDermott,  Alice  C.  Fletcher,  Herbert  J. 
Spinden,  Roland  B.  Dixon,  Mrs.  R.  S.  Shackelford, 


PREFACE 

J.  Owen  Dorsey,  and  others.  Acknowledgment  for 
courtesies  received  is  also  due  to  the  photographers, 
and  to  Lowman  &  Hanford,  of  Seattle,  but  especially 
to  Major  Lee  Moorhouse,  of  Pendleton,  Oregon. 

K.  B.  J. 

SEATTLE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY, 
July  15,  1910. 


xii 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS 

FAGB 

The  Origin  of  Daylight Nanaimo 19 

How  Silver- Fox  created  the  World    .     .     .     Hat  Creek  (Atsugewf)  21 

How  Kemush  created  the  World  ....     Klamatb 25 

The  Robe  of  Kemush Klamath 28 

How  Qawaneca  created  the  World 30 

How  Old  Man  Above  created  the  World     .     Sbastan 33 

Old  Man  Above  and  the  Grizzlies      .     .     .     Sbastan 35 

Duration  of  Life Klamatb 38 

How  Coyote  stole  Fire 40 

How  Beaver  stole  Fire Nez  Pcrc'e     ....  42 

How  Dog  stole  Fire Pit  River  {Acbomavoi)  44 

The  Bridge  of  the  Gods 47 

The  Dalles 50 

The  Story  of  Ashish Klamatb 51 

Creation  of  Mankind Pit  River  (Acbomatof)  55 

As-ai-yahal Tillamook       .     .     .     .  56 

The  Golden  Age      .     .    „ Tinne 59 

The  First  Totem  Pole Kwakiutl 60 

Spirit  of  Snow 64 

Owl  and  Raven Eskimo 65 

Cradle  Song Modoc 66 

Woodrat  and  Rabbits Modoc 67 

Quarrel  of  Sun  and  Moon Siouan 69 

Chinook  Wind     .     .     .     • Takima 70 

The  Miser  of  Takhoma Coiolitx 74 

Why  there  are  no  Snakes  on  Takhoma 79 

xiii 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Cry-because-he-had-no-wife Nez  Perce  .  .  .  .  81 

How  Coyote  got  his  Cunning Shastan 85 

The  Naming  of  Creation Nez  Perce  ....  86 

The  Bird  Chief 87 

The  Spell  of  the  Laughing  Raven  .  .  .  Klamath 88 

Origin  of  the  Thunder  Bird 89 

Mount  Edgecomb,  Alaska 91 

•*An  Indian*  s  Vow  to  the  Thunder  Gods 92 

Chinook  Ghosts Chinook 95 

The  Memaloose  Islands Klickitat 98 

A  Visiting  Ghost Teton 100 

Origin  of  the  Tribes Chinook 102 

How  the  Okanogans  became  Red  .  .  .  Okanogan  .  .  .  .105 

The  Copper  Canoe Nootka 107 

Origin  of  Mineral  Springs 108 

How  the  Ermine  got  its  Necklace  .  .  .  Athabascan  .  .  .  .109 

Coyote  and  Grizzly Nez  Perce  .  .  .  .114 

Coyote  and  the  Dragon 1 1 6 

Origin  of  Spokane  Falls Flathead 1 1 8 

Coyote  in  the  Buffalo  Country  ....  Flathead 119 

Coyote  and  the  Salmon Klamath 123 

Falls  of  the  Willamette 125 

Tallapus  and  the  Cedar Clatsop 127 

How  Coyote  was  Killed 131 

Old  Grizzly  and  Old  Antelope  ....  Klamath  .  .  .  .  .133 
Legend  of  the  Klickitat  Basket  ....  Klickitat 141 

\The  Northern  Lights Wabamki      .     .     .     .143 


xiv 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Takhoma,    "  The   White    Mountain,"   as    seen    from    Seattle 

(Mount  Rainier) Frontispiece 

PAGE 

"  There  was  no  light  anywhere,  for  Gull  kept  it  in  a  small  box  "  22 

Mount  Hood *    ....  23 

"  Streams  from  the  melting  snow  " 30 

North  buttress  of  the  Bridge  of  the  Gods 31 

Mount  Adams 40 

Kulshan,  "The  Great  White  Watcher"  (Mount  Baker)  .  .  41 

"  The  sun  made  holes  in  the  ice  and  snow  " 44 

"  The  only  fire  in  the  world  was  on  a  mountain  top  "...  45 

Tin-tin-mit-si,  Cayuse  warrior 52 

Yakima  Warrior  with  Ceremonial  Pipe  and  Beaded  Tobacco 

Pouch 53 

Mount  Shasta  and  Little  Shasta 56 

"  It  was  so  cold  the  animals  almost  froze  to  death"  ....  57 

Totem  Poles 60 

The  Basket  Maker 61 

Umatilla  Squaw  and  Pappoose 66 

Yakima  Maiden 67 

ct  Young  Chinook  could  pull  up  large  fir  trees  and  throw  them 

around  like  weeds  " 70 

An  Indian  Madonna  (Yakima) 71 

Takhoma 76 

Hiaqua  shells  (taken  from  an  old  Indian  grave  at  Fort  Columbia)  77 

xv 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Cayuse   Scout  who  was  with  McKay  at   the   capture  of  the 

Modoc  Chief,  Captain  Jack 82 

Lack-um-tin,  Umatilla  warrior 83 

Chilcat  Blanket  showing  eye  of  the  Thunder  Bird  .  88 

u  Raven  with  eye  of  the  Thunder  Bird  " 89 

Yakima  Chief 92 

Peo,  Cayuse  Warrior 93 

Memaloose  Island,  near  The  Dalles 98 

A  Scaffold  Grave 99 

Indian  Type.     Chief  Joseph  of  the  Nez  Perces      .      .      .      .  102 

Indian  Type.     Fish-hawk,  present  chief  of  the  Cayuses    .      .  103 

Indian  Type.     Whirlwind,  Medicine  Man  of  the  Cayuses     .  104 

Tepee  in  the  Sand  and  Sage  Brush  Country,  Eastern  Washington  1 05 

Cayuse  Twins  in  Sunshine  and  Storm 108 

An  Indian  Mother  and  Pappoose 109 

The  Yukon  River no 

The  Yukon  River  in  Winter in 

"  Out  of  the  small  end  of  the  stick  he  made  fishes  "     .      .      .  114 

Cayuse  Warrior  with  Tomahawk  and  Tom-tom      .      .      .      .  115 

Umatilla  Warrior  with  Ceremonial  Pipe  and  Tomahawk    .      .  1 1 8 

Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri 119 

An  Indian  Home,  Eastern  Washington 122 

Tepee  and  Salmon-drying  Scaffold 123 

Falls  of  the  Willamette 126 

Umatilla,  "  The  Place  of  Wind-drifted  Sands  " 127 

Celilo  Falls 134 

The  Dalles 135 

Alaskan  Baskets 138 

Klickitat  Baskets 139 

xvi 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS   OF  THE 
PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF 
THE  PACIFIC  NORTHWEST 


THE  ORIGIN   OF    DAYLIGHT 

Nanaimo  modification 
of  the  Thlingit  legend 

WHEN  the  earth  was  very  new  and  young, 
it  was  dark  and   cold  and  gray.      Even 
the   stars    were    black.      There   was   no 
light  anywhere    for    Gull   kept   it  in    a   small    box 
which    he  guarded    carefully.      His   cousin,   Raven, 
was    tired    of    the    dark.       He     wished     for    the 
daylight.      One   day   when    Gull   and    Raven   were 
out  walking,  Raven  thought,  "  I  wish  Gull  would 
run  a  thorn  into  his  foot."     Hardly  had  he  thought 
so,  when,  in  the  darkness,  Gull  stepped  on  a  thorn. 
" Sqendn!  My  foot!"  cried  Gull. 
"A  thorn?"  asked  Raven.      "Let  me  see  it.     I 
will  take  it  out." 

But  it  was  so  dark  Raven  could  not  see  the  thorn. 
He  asked  Gull  to  open  the  box  and  make  it  light. 
Gull  opened  it  just  a  little  way  and  the  light  was 
very  faint. 

'9 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

Raven  said,  "You  must  give  me  more  light." 

Gull  answered,  "  Sqendn  /" 

So  Raven  pretended  not  to  see  the  thorn.  Instead 
of  pulling  it  out,  he  pushed  it  in  deeper  and  deeper, 
saying,  "  You  must  give  me  more  light." 

"Sqendn!  sqendn!  My  foot!  my  foot!"  cried 
Gull.  Raven  pushed  the  thorn  in  deeper  and  deeper 
until  Gull  at  last  opened  the  box.  That  is  the  way 
the  daylight  came. 


20 


OF   THE   PACIFIC    NORTHWEST 


HOW   SILVER-FOX   CREATED  THE 
WORLD 

Hat  Creek  Indians 
(Atsugewi) 

IN  the  beginning  there  was  nothing  but  water. 
Coyote  and  Silver-Fox  lived  above  in  the  sky, 
where  there  was  a  world  like  this  one.  Silver- 
Fox  was  anxious  to  make  things,  but  Coyote  was 
opposed  to  this.  Finally  Silver-Fox  got  tired  of 
Coyote  and  sent  him  one  day  to  get  wood.  While 
he  was  gone,  Silver-Fox  took  an  arrow-flaker  and 
made  a  hole  in  the  upper  world,  and  looked  down 
on  the  sea  below.  When  Coyote  came  back, 
Silver-Fox  did  not  tell  him  about  the  hole  he 
had  made.  Next  day  he  sent  Coyote  off  again 
for  wood.  While  he  was  gone  Silver-Fox  thrust 
down  the  arrow-flaker  and  found  that  it  reached 
to  the  water  and  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  water. 
So  he  climbed  through  the  hole.  As  he  came 
near  the  surface  of  the  water,  he  made  a  little 
round  island  on  which  he  stayed.  When  Coyote 


21 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

returned,  he  could  not  find  Silver-Fox,  and  after 
hunting  a  long  time,  he  began  to  feel  remorseful. 
Finally  he  found  the  hole  in  the  sky.  He  peeped 
through  and  saw  Silver-Fox  on  his  island,  far,  far 
below.  He  called  to  Silver-Fox  he  was  sorry, 
and  asked  how  to  get  down.  Silver-Fox  did  not 
answer.  Coyote  said  Silver-Fox  ought  not  to  treat 
him  so  badly;  then  Silver-Fox  put  up  the  arrow- 
flaker  and  Coyote  came  down. 

But  the  island  was  very  small,  and  there  was  not 
room  enough  for  Coyote  to  stretch  out.  For 
some  time  they  slept  and  when  they  awoke  they 
were  very  hungry.  For  five  days  things  continued 
this  way,  until  at  last  Silver-Fox  gave  Coyote 
some  sunflower  seeds.  He  asked  where  they 
came  from.  Silver-Fox  did  not  answer. 

After  five  days  more,  Silver-Fox  made  the  island 
a  little  larger  so  that  Coyote  could  have  room  to 
stretch  out.  At  last  he  went  comfortably  asleep. 
At  once  Silver-Fox  got  up,  dressed  himself  finely, 
and  then  made  a  big  sweat  house.  When  it  was 
all  done,  he  woke  Coyote,  who  was  much  surprised 
to  see  the  sweat  house.  Silver-Fox  told  Coyote  to 
sweep  it  out,  to  spread  grass  on  the  floor,  and  to 
go  to  sleep  again.  He  did  so,  and  Silver-Fox 
dressed  up  again.  He  put  on  a  finely  beaded  shirt 


22 


H 


OF   THE   PACIFIC    NORTHWEST 

and  leggings,  and  smoked  and  sang  more.  Then, 
going  outside,  he  pushed  with  his  foot,  and  stretched 
out  the  earth  in  all  directions,  first  to  the  east,  then 
to  the  north,  then  to  the  west,  and  last  to  the  south. 
For  five  nights  he  repeated  this,  until  the  world  be- 
came as  large  as  it  is  to-day.  Each  day  Silver-Fox 
told  Coyote  to  run  around  the  edge  and  see  how 
large  it  was  growing.  At  first  Coyote  could  do 
this  very  quickly ;  but  the  last  time  he  grew  old 
and  gray  before  he  got  back.  Then  Silver-Fox 
made  trees  and  springs  and  fixed  the  world  up 
nicely.  He  also  made  all  kinds  of  animals,  merely 
by  thinking  about  them.  These  animals,  however, 
were  like  people. 

When  the  world  was  all  made,  Coyote  asked  what 
they  were  going  to  have  for  food.  Silver-Fox  did 
not  reply.  Coyote  then  said  he  thought  there  ought 
to  be  ten  moons  of  winter  in  the  year.  Silver-Fox 
replied  there  would  not  be  enough  food  for  so  long 
a  winter.  Coyote  said  it  would  be  better  not  to  have 
much  food,  that  people  could  make  soup  out  of  dirt. 
Silver-Fox  at  first  did  not  reply.  Then  Silver-Fox 
said  it  was  not  right  to  have  ten  moons  of  winter, 
that  two  were  enough,  and  that  people  could  then 
eat  sunflower  seeds,  roots,  and  berries.  Coyote 
repeated  what  he  had  said  before,  and  they  argued 

23 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

about  it  a  long  time.  Finally  Silver-Fox  said:  "You 
talk  too  much!  I  am  going  to  make  four  moons 
for  the  whole  year.  I  won't  talk  about  it  any  more. 
There  will  be  two  moons  of  winter,  and  one  of  spring, 
and  one  of  autumn.  That's  enough." 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


HOW   KEMUSH    CREATED   THE   WORLD 

Klamath 

IN  the  time  that  was,  Kemush,  Old  Man  of  the 
Ancients,  slept  in  Yamsi,  Lodge  of  the  North 
Wind.  Hard  had  been  his  work.  Kemush  had 
made  the  world.  He  had  sprung  quickly  from  the 
ashes  of  the  northern  lights  and  made  the  world 
at  the  call  of  Morning  Star.  At  first  Kaila, 
the  earth,  had  been  flat  and  bare.  Then  Kemush 
planted  in  the  valleys  the  grass,  and  camas  roots,  iba 
and  ipo  roots.  On  Molaiksi,  Steepness,  he  had  set 
Kapka,  the  pine,  Wako,  the  white  pine,  and  Ktalo, 
the  juniper.  On  the  rivers  and  lakes  Kemush  placed 
Weks,  the  mallard,  and  Waiwash,  the  white  goose. 
Mushmush,  the  white-tail  deer,  Wan,  the  red  fox, 
and  Ketchkatch,  the  little  gray  fox,  ran  through  the 
forest.  Koil,  the  mountain  sheep,  and  Luk,  the 
grizzly  bear,  Kemush  set  on  Kta-iti,  place  of  rocks. 
So  made  Kemush  the  earth.  And  all  the  earth  was 
new  except  Shapashkeni,  the  rock,  where  was  built 
the  lodge  of  Sun  and  Moon. 

25 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

So  Kemush  slept  while  the  day  was  young.  Then 
came  Wanaka,  the  sun  halo,  and  called  to  the  sleep- 
ing one,  Old  Man  of  the  Ancients.  Kemush  rose 
from  the  door  of  the  lodge.  Together  they  followed 
the  trail  of  Shel,  the  sun,  until  they  reached  the  edge 
of  the  dark.  But  Maidu,  the  Indian,  was  not  yet 
created. 

Then  Kemush,  with  his  daughter,  Evening  Sky, 
went  to  the  Place  of  the  Dark,  to  the  lodges  of  the 
Munatalkni.  Five  nights  in  a  great  circle  about  a 
vast  fire  they  danced  with  the  spirits  of  the  dark. 
The  spirits  were  without  number,  like  the  leaves  on 
the  trees.  But  when  Shel  called  to  the  world,  the 
spirits  became  dry  bones. 

On  the  fifth  day,  when  the  sun  was  new,  Kemush 
rose  and  put  the  dry  bones  into  a  sack.  Then  as  he 
followed  the  trail  of  Shel  to  the  edge  of  the  world, 
he  threw  away  the  bones.  He  threw  them  away 
two  by  two.  To  Kta-iti,  place  of  steepness,  he 
threw  two.  To  Kuyani  Shaiks,  the  crawfish  trail, 
to  Molaiksi,  steepness  of  snow,  and  to  Kakasam 
Yama,  mountain  of  the  great  blue  heron,  to  each  he 
threw  two  bones.  Thus  people  were  created.  The 
dry  bones  became  Maidu,  the  Indian,  Aikspala,  the 
people  of  the  chipmunks,  and  last  of  all,  Maklaks, 

the  Klamath  Indian. 

26 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

Then  Kemush  followed  the  trail  of  Shel,  the  sun, 
climbing  higher  and  higher.  At  the  top  of  the  trail 
he  built  his  lodge.  Here  still  lives  Kemush,  Old 
Man  of  the  Ancients,  with  his  daughter  Evening 
Sky,  and  Wanaka,  the  sun  halo. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


THE    ROBE  OF   KEMUSH 

Klamath 

KEMUSH,  walking  upon  the  earth  after  hav- 
ing created  it,  saw  five  lynxes  sitting  upon  a 
tree.  Kemush  had  on  only  a  rabbit  blanket. 
Kemush  tore  his  blanket  to  pieces,  saying,  "The 
lynxes  will  be  a  good  robe  to  me  when  I  kill  them." 
Picking  up  a  stone,  he  threw  it  at  the  lynxes.  One 
lynx  jumped  down  and  ran  away.  Kemush  said, 
"  Oh !  it  will  not  be  a  good  mantle."  Again  he 
missed  with  a  stone.  Another  lynx,  jumping  down, 
ran  off.  Kemush  said,  "  Again  one  skipped  away. 
Now  my  mantle  will  become  small."  The  three 
lynxes  sitting  on  the  tree  scoffed  at  Kemush.  Again 
with  a  stone  he  missed  the  lynxes.  Another  one 
jumped  down  and  ran  away.  Kemush  said,  "  It  will 
only  cover  my  back."  Picking  up  another  stone,  he 
missed  the  lynxes.  Both  skipping  down,  ran  away. 
Kemush  began  crying,  "  Lo-i  loyan  loyak.  Lo-loyan 
loyak"  Again  gathering  the  pieces  of  his  blanket, 
he  pinned  it  together  with  splinters.  Then  putting 

it  around  himself,  started  off. 

28 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

Not  far  away  an  antelope  with  an  aching  tooth 
lay  on  a  clearing.  Spreading  his  rabbit  blanket  over 
the  antelope,  Kemush  kicked  it.  Then  he  began 
searching  for  a  stone  knife  with  which  to  skin  it.  An 
antelope  behind  him  ran  off.  Looking  at  it,  Kemush 
said,  "  This  looks  like  my  antelope."  Then  the  an- 
telope of  Kemush  ran  in  front  of  him.  Kemush 
saw  his  blanket  on  the  antelope's  back.  He  cried, 
"  Stop  !  Stop  !  The  people  will  make  fun  of  you, 
wrapped  in  my  old  rabbit  blanket." 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


HOW  QAWANECA    CREATED   THE 
WORLD 

A'  first  it  was  dark.  There  was  neither  wind 
nor  rain.  There  were  no  people  or  animals. 
In  the  middle  of  the  water,  on  a  piece  of 
land,  sat  Qawaneca.  He  sat  by  his  fire  breathing  the 
smoke  of  burning  cedar.  On  the  edge  of  the  land 
stood  another  god.  Looking  northward,  he  saw  an 
ash  tree.  Looking  southward,  he  saw  a  red  cedar. 
Therefore  the  ash  and  red  cedar  are  sacred  above  all 
other  trees.  Looking  southwest,  he  saw  something 
red.  Said  Qawaneca :  "  It  must  be  land  coming." 
At  last  the  land  came  and  touched  the  piece  on  which 
they  sat.  But  it  was  unsteady.  It  trembled.  Then 
Qawaneca  pressed  his  hands  over  it,  making  it  steady. 
He  wanted  to  make  more  land  but  he  did  not  wish 
sickness  to  be  in  it.  He  said  :  "  Where  many  die,  I 
will  make  much  water  and  little  land.  Where  few 
die,  I  will  make  much  land  and  little  water." 

Qawaneca  chose  three   rocks  and   two  pieces  of 
earth.     He  threw  one  rock  into  the  water.     Then 

3° 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

he  listened.  It  went  down,  down,  down !  He  threw 
another  rock ;  then  the  third.  Then  he  threw  a 
piece  of  earth.  He  listened.  He  threw  the  other 
piece  of  earth.  After  the  fifth  throw,  mighty  waves 
arose.  They  dashed  against  the  land,  then  receded. 
Thus  were  the  tides  formed. 

Then  more  land  came,  but  it  was  muddy.  Man 
could  not  step  on  it.  Soon  footprints  appeared. 
"  Ha/'  said  Qawaneca.  "  That  is  sickness.  It  is 
bad."  So  he  made  the  water  cover  the  land.  Then 
he  blew  at  the  water  and  uncovered  the  land.  Again 
footprints  came  in  the  mud.  "That  is  bad.  That 
is  sickness/'  said  Qawaneca.  Four  times  he  made 
water  cover  the  land.  The  fifth  time  the  footprints 
were  made  as  before.  Qawaneca  let  them  alone. 
Five  is  a  sacred  number. 

All  this  time  it  was  dark.  Qawaneca  tried  to 
make  daylight,  but  could  not.  Then  he  called  all 
the  birds  to  a  great  council.  He  asked  them  how 
to  make  sunlight.  Only  one  bird  knew.  He  said 
in  the  far  north  was  the  sun.  Two  wild  geese  had 
been  there.  The  geese  said  there  was  a  magic  way 
of  calling  the  sun.  They  would  teach  Qawaneca  if 
he  would  give  special  privileges  to  all  birds.  So 
Qawaneca  learned  the  secret  and  called  the  sun.  It 
came  at  his  call  and  stopped  as  he  told  it.  So 

31 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

Qawaneca  made  a  track  for  the  sun,  northward  in 
summer,  southward  in  winter. 

Qawaneca  pulled  two  hairs  from  his  head  and  threw 
them  on  the  ground.  They  became  snakes.  Soon 
there  were  many  on  the  land  and  in  the  water. 
They  made  storms  by  blowing  with  their  mouths. 
One  long  serpent  coiled  itself  five  times  around  the 
world,  so  it  does  not  fall  apart. 

Qawaneca  pulled  two  more  hairs  from  his  head. 
They  became  dogs. 

Afterwards  a  woman  came  from  the  south.  She  is 
the  Mother  who  never  dies.  She  is  the  South.  All 
Indians  return  to  her  at  death  and  she  sends  them 
back  as  infants.  Qawaneca  now  lives  in  the  sun  and 
looks  down  on  the  people. 


OF   THE   PACIFIC    NORTHWEST 


HOW   OLD   MAN   ABOVE   CREATED   THE 

WORLD 

Shasta  Indians 

ENG,  long  ago,  when  the  world  was  so  new 
that  even  the  stars  were  dark,  it  was  very, 
very  flat.  Chareya,  Old  Man  Above,  could 
not  see  through  the  dark  to  the  new,  flat  earth. 
Neither  could  he  step  down  to  it  because  it  was  so 
far  below  him.  With  a  large  stone  he  bored  a  hole 
in  the  sky.  Then  through  the  hole  he  pushed  down 
masses  of  ice  and  snow,  until  a  great  pyramid  rose 
from  the  plain.  Old  Man  Above  climbed  down 
through  the  hole  he  had  made  in  the  sky,  stepping 
from  cloud  to  cloud,  until  he  could  put  his  foot  on 
top  the  mass  of  ice  and  snow.  Then  with  one  long 
step  he  reached  the  earth. 

The  sun  shone  through  the  hole  in  the  sky  and 
began  to  melt  the  ice  and  snow.  It  made  holes  in 
the  ice  and  snow.  When  it  was  soft,  Chareya  bored 
with  his  finger  into  the  earth,  here  and  there,  and 
planted  the  first  trees.  Streams  from  the  melting 
snow  watered  the  new  trees  and  made  them  grow. 

3  33 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

Then  he  gathered  the  leaves  which  fell  from  the  trees 
and  blew  upon  them.  They  became  birds.  He  took 
a  stick  and  broke  it  into  pieces.  Out  of  the  small 
end  he  made  fishes  and  placed  them  in  the  moun- 
tain streams.  Of  the  middle  of  the  stick,  he  made 
all  the  animals  except  the  grizzly  bear.  From 
the  big  end  of  the  stick  came  the  grizzly  bear,  who 
was  made  master  of  all.  Grizzly  was  large  and  strong 
and  cunning.  When  the  earth  was  new  he  walked 
upon  two  feet  and  carried  a  large  club.  So  strong 
was  Grizzly  that  Old  Man  Above  feared  the  creature 
he  had  made.  Therefore,  so  that  he  might  be  safe, 
Chareya  hollowed  out  the  pyramid  of  ice  and  snow 
as  a  tepee.  There  he  lived  for  thousands  of  snows. 
The  Indians  knew  he  lived  there  because  they  could 
see  the  smoke  curling  from  the  smoke  hole  of  his 
tepee.  When  the  pale-face  came,  Old  Man  Above 
went  away.  There  is  no  longer  any  smoke  from  the 
smoke  hole.  White  men  call  the  tepee  Mount 
Shasta. 


34 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


OLD   MAN  ABOVE   AND  THE  GRIZZLIES 

Shasta  Indians 

ALONG  time  ago,  while  smoke  still  curled 
from  the  smoke  hole  of  the  tepee,  a  great 
storm  arose.  The  storm  shook  the  tepee. 
Wind  blew  the  smoke  down  the  smoke  hole.  Old 
Man  Above  said  to  Little  Daughter :  "  Climb  up  to 
the  smoke  hole.  Tell  Wind  to  be  quiet.  Stick  your 
arm  out  of  the  smoke  hole  before  you  tell  him." 
Little  Daughter  climbed  up  to  the  smoke  hole  and 
put  out  her  arm.  But  Little  Daughter  put  out  her 
head  also.  She  wanted  to  see  the  world.  Little 
Daughter  wanted  to  see  the  rivers  and  trees,  and  the 
white  foam  on  the  Bitter  Waters.  Wind  caught 
Little  Daughter  by  the  hair.  Wind  pulled  her  out 
of  the  smoke  hole  and  blew  her  down  the  mountain. 
Wind  blew  Little  Daughter  over  the  smooth  ice  and 
the  great  forests,  down  to  the  land  of  the  Grizzlies. 
Wind  tangled  her  hair  and  then  left  her  cold  and 
shivering  near  the  tepees  of  the  Grizzlies. 

Soon  Grizzly  came  home.      In  those  days  Grizzly 
walked  on  two  feet,  and  carried  a  big  stick.     Grizzly 

35 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

could  talk  as  people  do.  Grizzly  laid  down  the 
young  elk  he  had  killed  and  picked  up  Little 
Daughter.  He  took  Little  Daughter  to  his  tepee. 
Then  Mother  Grizzly  warmed  her  by  the  fire. 
Mother  Grizzly  gave  her  food  to  eat. 

Soon  Little  Daughter  married  the  son  of  Grizzly. 
Their  children  were  not  Grizzlies.  They  were  men. 
So  the  Grizzlies  built  a  tepee  for  Little  Daughter  and 
her  children.  White  men  call  the  tepee  Little 
Shasta. 

At  last  Mother  Grizzly  sent  a  son  to  Old  Man 
Above.  Mother  Grizzly  knew  that  Little  Daughter 
was  the  child  of  Old  Man  Above,  but  she  was  afraid. 
She  said:  "Tell  Old  Man  Above  that  Little  Daughter 
is  alive." 

Old  Man  Above  climbed  out  of  the  smoke  hole. 
He  ran  down  the  mountain  side  to  the  land  of 
the  Grizzlies.  Old  Man  Above  ran  very  quickly. 
Wherever  he  set  his  foot  the  snow  melted.  The 
snow  melted  very  quickly  and  made  streams  of  water. 
Now  Grizzlies  stood  in  line  to  welcome  Old  Man 
Above.  They  stood  on  two  feet  and  carried  clubs. 
Then  Old  Man  Above  saw  his  daughter  and  her 
children.  He  saw  the  new  race  of  men.  Then 
Old  Man  Above  became  very  angry.  He  said  to 

Grizzlies : 

36 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

"  Never  speak  again.  Be  silent.  Neither  shall  ye 
stand  upright.  Ye  shall  use  your  hands  as  feet.  Ye 
shall  look  downward." 

Then  Old  Man  Above  put  out  the  fire  in  the  tepee. 
Smoke  no  longer  curls  from  the  smoke  hole.  He 
fastened  the  door  of  the  tepee.  The  new  race  of  men 
he  drove  out.  Then  Old  Man  Above  took  Little 
Daughter  back  to  his  tepee. 

That  is  why  grizzlies  walk  on  four  feet  and  look 
downward.  Only  when  fighting  they  stand  on  two 
feet  and  use  their  fists  like  men. 


37 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 


DURATION   OF    LIFE 

Klamath 

KEMUSH,  Old  Man  of  the  Ancients,  ruled  as 
follows :    The  Klamath  Lake  people,  Mak- 
laks,  from  a  service-berry  bush,  from  Tschak, 
he    made.      He    made    the    Kakalish    people    from 
skunks.     Northward  while  he  had  gone,  he  created 
them  on  his  way.      Klamath   Lake  people  he  laid 
down  in  the  sun  heat.     The  white  people  he  laid  in 
the  shade.      Therefore  the  Maklaks  are  dark.     The 
white  race  is  light  and  beyond  the  sea  he  made  a 
world  for  them. 

Kemush  made  mole  also,  flybug  also,  garter  snake 
also.  When  he  had  made  them,  they  began  to  argue 
about  man. 

Mole  said :  "  I  want  human  beings  to  live  to  great 
age." 

Garter  Snake  thus  spoke :  "  I  order  man  to  be  thus 
made/'  Garter  Snake  began  shedding  its  skin,  say- 
ing :  "  This  way  I  want  man  to  become,  after  having 
grown  to  be  of  great  age  —  always  to  grow  young 
again." 

38 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

On  that  subject  Mole  said :  "  And  I  want  human 
beings  to  be  thus  made  —  decrepit  by  age."  Shiver- 
ing, he  said,  "Thus  I  want  human  beings  to  shiver." 

Flybug  also  voted  with  Mole.  Flybug  said: 
"  Many  human  beings,  acting  cruelly,  will  step  on 
me  and  crush  me/'  Thus  they  argued. 


39 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 


HOW    COYOTE    STOLE    FIRE 


E^G  ago  men  were  hungry  and  unhappy.  They 
were  cold.  The  only  fire  in  the  world 
was  on  a  mountain  top,  watched  by  three 
Skookums.  They  guarded  the  fire  carefully.  Men 
might  steal  it  and  become  as  strong  as  they. 

Coyote  wanted  men  to  be  warm  and  happy.  One 
day  he  crept  to  the  mountain  top  and  watched  the 
Skookums.  He  watched  all  day  and  all  night.  They 
thought  he  was  only  a  skulking  coyote.  Coyote  saw 
that  one  Skookum  sat  always  by  the  fire.  When  one 
went  into  the  tepee,  another  came  out  and  sat  by 
the  fire.  Only  when  the  dawn  wind  arose  was  there 
a  chance  to  steal  fire.  Then  Skookum,  shivering, 
hurried  into  the  tepee.  She  called:  "Sister,  sister, 
get  up  and  watch  the  fire/'  But  the  sister  was  slow. 

Coyote  went  down  the  mountain  side  and  called 
a  great  council  of  the  animals.  He  knew  if  he  stole 
fire,  the  Skookums  would  chase  him.  Coyote  said 
the  other  animals  must  help  him. 

Again  Coyote  skulked  to  the  mountain  top.     The 

Skookums  saw  only  a  coyote  shivering  in  the  bushes. 

40 


THF 


Copyrighted  by  Romans  Photographic  Co. 

KULSHAN   "  THE  GREAT  WHITE  WATCHER."     (MOUNT  BAKER) 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

When  the  dawn  wind  rose,  the  Skookum  on  guard 
called :  "  Sister,  sister,  get  up  and  watch  the  fire." 
But  the  sister  was  slow.  Then  Coyote  seized  the 
fire  and  jumped  down  the  mountain  side.  Quickly 
Skookum  followed  him.  She  caught  the  tip  of  his 
tail  in  her  hand ;  therefore  it  is  white,  even  to 
this  day.  But  Coyote  reached  Wolf.  Wolf  seized 
the  fire  and  leaped  down  the  mountain.  Skookum 
chased  Wolf.  But  Wolf  reached  Squirrel.  Squirrel 
seized  the  fire  and  leaped  from  branch  to  branch 
down  the  mountain.  The  fire  was  so  hot  it  burned 
the  back  of  his  neck.  You  can  see  the  black  spot 
there,  even  to  this  day.  The  fire  was  so  hot  it  made 
Squirrel's  tail  curl  up  over  his  back.  Skookum 
chased  Squirrel.  But  Squirrel  reached  Frog.  Frog 
took  the  coals  of  fire  in  his  mouth  and  hopped  away. 
Skookum  chased  Frog.  She  caught  his  tail  in  her 
hand.  Frog  jumped  away  but  Skookum  kept  the 
tail.  That  is  why  frogs  have  no  tail,  even  to  this 
day.  Soon  Skookum  caught  up  with  Frog  again. 
To  save  the  fire,  Frog  spit  it  out  on  Wood.  Wood 
swallowed  it.  Skookum  did  not  know  how  to  get  the 
fire  out  of  Wood.  But  Coyote  did.  Coyote  showed 
the  Indians  how  to  get  fire  out  of  Wood  by  rubbing 
two  dry  sticks  together,  as  they  do  even  to  this  day. 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 


HOW    BEAVER    STOLE    FIRE 

Nez  Perc'es 

ENG  ago  there  were  no  people  in  the  world. 
Animals  and  trees  talked  just  as  men  do  now. 
They    also   walked    about.     Now    in    those 
days,  Pine  Trees  had  the  secret  of  fire.     They  would 
tell  no  one  else.     No  one  could  have  a  fire,  no  matter 
how  cold  it  was,  unless  he  were  a  Pine.     One  winter 
it  was  so  cold  the  animals  almost  froze  to  death. 
Then  they  called  a  council.     They  wanted  to  steal 
fire  from  Pine  Trees. 

Now  on  Grande  Ronde  River,  Pine  Trees  were 
holding  also  a  great  council.  They  had  built  a  large 
fire  to  warm  themselves.  Guards  were  put  around 
the  fire  to  keep  off  all  animals.  But  Beaver  hid 
under  the  bank,  near  the  fire,  before  the  guards  took 
their  places,  so  they  did  not  see  him.  After  a  while 
a  live  coal  rolled  down  the  bank  near  Beaver.  He 
hid  it  in  his  breast  and  ran  away.  Pine  Trees  started 
after  him.  When  Pine  Trees  caught  up  near  him, 
Beaver  dodged  from  side  to  side.  Other  times  he  ran 

straight  ahead.     That  is  why  Grande  Ronde  River 

42 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

winds  from  side  to  side  in  some  places.      In  other 
places  it  is  straight. 

When  they  had  run  a  long  way,  Pine  Trees  grew 
tired.  They  stopped  on  the  river  banks.  So  many 
stopped  there,  and  so  close  together,  that  even  to-day 
hunters  can  hardly  get  through  the  trees.  A  few  kept 
on  after  Beaver  and  stopped  here  and  there.  These 
also  remain  here  and  there  on  the  river  bank. 

A  few  Pine  Trees  kept  close  after  Beaver.  So  did 
Cedar.  Cedar  said,  "  I  will  run  to  the  top  of  that 
hill.  I  will  see  how  far  ahead  he  is."  So  Cedar  ran 
to  the  top  of  the  hill.  Beaver  was  far  ahead.  He 
was  just  diving  into  Big  Snake  River  where  Grande 
Ronde  joins  it.  Beaver  swam  across  Big  Snake  River 
and  gave  fire  to  Willows  on  the  opposite  bank. 
Farther  on  he  gave  fire  to  Birches  and  to  other  trees. 
So  these  woods  have  fire  in  them.  Ever  since  then 
animals  and  Indians  can  get  fire  from  these  woods  by 
rubbing  two  pieces  together. 

Cedar  still  stands  all  alone  on  the  very  top  of  the 
hill.  He  is  very  old.  His  top  is  dead.  The  chase 
was  a  long  one.  You  can  see  that  because  there  are 
no  other  cedar$  within  a  hundred  miles  of  him.  Old 
men  of  the  tribes  point  him  out  to  the  children. 
They  say,  "There  is  Old  Cedar.  He  stands  just 
where  he  stopped  when  he  chased  Beaver." 

43 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 


HOW   DOG   STOLE   FIRE 

Pit  River 
(Achomawi ) 

PINE-MARTEN  stole  the  two  wives  of  Hawk- 
Man.     Hawk-Man  grew  very  angry,  and  at 
once    put    on    his    shaman's    ornaments    and 
began   to   dance  and   to   sing,    "  Ketj   ketja    ivinino, 
ketj  ketja  winino." 

At  once  it  began  to  rain.  Only  Weasel  noticed  it 
and  spoke  of  it.  All  night  it  poured.  The  water 
rose  higher  and  higher  until  it  ran  in  at  the  door. 
"Tell  them  to  go  back,  these  two  women!  That 
Hawk-Man  will  kill  us,  he  will  drown  us." 

But  Pine-Marten  said  nothing  until  morning. 
Then  he  said,  "  I  do  not  like  this.  Where  is  a 
brave  man  ?  I  want  him  to  go  and  kill  Hawk- 
Man." 

So  a  man  got  up  and  went  over,  taking  a  knife 
and  a  shield.  Hawk-Man  was  dancing  harder  and 
harder,  and  at  every  leap  his  head  came  ~up  through 
the  smoke  hole.  The  man  crept  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  finally  struck  Hawk-Man.  He  cut  off  his  head. 

44 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

At  once  the  rain  stopped  and  the  clouds  cleared 
away,  and  the  water  sank.  Then  people  said,  "  If  a 
shaman  is  bad,  we  will  kill  him.  That  is  how  it 
shall  be."  Then  they  went  off  to  hunt. 

After  Hawk-Man  had  been  killed  and  the  waters 
had  sunk  again,  people  found  that  the  fires  were  put 
out  all  over  the  world.  Nothing  could  be  cooked. 
For  a  time  they  did  not  trouble  about  it,  but  in  a 
few  days  they  began  to  talk  about  it.  They  sent 
Owl  to  Shasta  to  look  out  all  over  the  world  and  see 
if  he  could  find  any  trace  of  fire.  Owl  took  a  feather 
blanket  and  went.  Lizard  watched  him  go  and  told 
the  people  how  he  was  getting  on.  After  a  long 
while,  when  Owl  did  not  come  back,  people  thought 
he  was  dead.  But  Lizard  said,  "  Sh  !  I  can  see  him." 
Owl  got  to  the  top  at  last,  very  tired  and  wet  with 
sweat.  He  looked  all  around.  Twice  he  looked  to 
the  west  and  there  saw  smoke  coming  from  a  sweat 
house.  After  a  while  Owl  came  down  from  the 
mountain  and  told  the  people  what  he  had  seen. 

Next  morning  all  got  ready  and  went  off  to  the 
west,  to  where  the  smoke  had  been  seen.  Every  one 
had  a  cedar-bark  torch.  Dog  had  some  punk  hidden 
in  his  ear.  Late  in  the  evening  they  arrived  at  the 
lodge  and  asked  to  be  allowed  to  warm  their  hands. 
Dog  held  his  ear  down  and  fire  caught  in  the  punk. 

45 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

Then  every  one  thrust  their  torches  into  the  fire  and 
ran.  The  people  in  the  lodge  were  angry  and  struck 
at  them  as  they  ran  off.  Coyote's  fire  gave  out  first, 
then  the  fire  of  one  after  another  gave  out  until  all  the 
torches  were  out.  The  people  who  owned  the  fire 
had  made  it  rain  and  this  put  out  the  torches. 
No  one  knew  that  Dog  had  fire.  They  got  home 
and  were  much  troubled,  for  they  thought  the  fire 
had  all  been  lost.  Dog  was  laughing  and  said,  "  I 
am  sweating."  Coyote  got  angry  at  this  and  said, 
"Hit  him!  Put  him  out!" 

Then  Dog  said  to  Fox,  "Look  in  my  ear." 
When  he  did  so,  he  saw  the  fire.  He  took  out  the 
punk,  made  fire  from  it,  and  so  people  got  fire 
again. 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


THE    BRIDGE    OF   THE    GODS 

E~  NG  ago,  when  the  world  was  new,  Tyhee  Sah- 
ale  with   his  two   sons,    came   down   Great 
River.     They  came   near  where  the   Dalles 
now  are.     The  land  was  very  beautiful  and  each  son 
wanted  it.     Therefore  they  quarrelled.     Then  Sahale 
took  his  bow  and  shot  two  arrows.     One  he  shot  to 
the  north;  the  other  he  shot  to  the  west.     Then 
Sahale   said    to    his   sons,   "Go.     Find   the  arrows. 
Where  they  lie,  you  shall  have  the  land." 

One  son  went  north  over  the  plain  to  the  country 
of  the  Klickitats.  He  was  the  first  grandfather  of  the 
Klickitats.  The  other  son  followed  the  arrow  to 
the  Willamette  Valley.  He  was  the  first  grandfather 
of  the  Multnomahs. 

Then  Sahale  raised  great  mountains  between  the 
country  of  the  Klickitats  and  the  country  of  the  Mult- 
nomahs. This  he  did  that  the  tribes  might  not 
quarrel.  White  men  call  them  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains. But  Great  River  was  deep  and  broad.  The 
river  was  a  sign  of  peace  between  the  tribes. 
Therefore  Sahale  made  a  great  stone  bridge  over  the 

47 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

river,  that  the  tribes  might  be  friends.  This  was 
called  the  Bridge  of  the  Tomanowos. 

The  tribes  grew,  but  they  did  evil  things.  They 
displeased  Tyhee  Sahale.  Therefore  the  sun  ceased  to 
shine,  and  cold  and  snow  appeared.  The  people  were 
unhappy  for  they  had  no  fire.  Only  Loo- wit  had 
fire.  Therefore  the  people  sought  to  steal  the  fire  of 
Loo-wit.  Then  Loo-wit  fled  and  because  the  run- 
ners were  stiff  with  cold,  they  could  not  catch  her. 

Then  Loo-wit  told  Sahale  of  the  need  of  the  In- 
dians. Loo-wit  said  the  Indians  were  cold.  So 
Sahale  gave  fire  to  the  people.  Thus  Sahale  built  a 
fire  on  the  bridge  of  the  gods,  and  there  the  people 
secured  fire.  Sahale  also  promised  to  Loo-wit  eternal 
youth  and  beauty.  Thus  Loo-wit  became  a  beautiful 
maiden. 

Then  began  the  chiefs  to  love  Loo-wit.  Many 
chiefs  loved  her  because  she  was  so  beautiful.  Then 
came  two  more  chiefs,  Klickitat  from  the  north  and 
Wiyeast  from  the  west.  To  neither  would  Loo-wit 
give  an  answer.  Therefore  the  chiefs  fought,  and 
their  people  also  fought.  Thus  did  they  anger  Sah- 
ale. Therefore,  because  blood  was  shed  and  because 
Great  River  was  no  longer  a  sign  of  peace,  Sahale 
broke  down  the  tomanowos  illahee.  Great  rocks 

fell  into  the  river.     They  are  there  even  to  this  day. 

48 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

When  the  water  is  quiet,  buried  forests  can  be  seen 
even  to  this  day.  Thus  Sahale  destroyed  the  bridge 
of  the  gods.  Thus  the  tribes  were  separated  by 
Great  River. 

Then  Sahale  made  of  Loo-wit,  Klickitat,  and  Wiy- 
east  snow  peaks.  Always  they  were  to  be  cold  and 
covered  with  ice  and  snow.  White  men  call  them 
Mount  St.  Helens,  Mount  Adams,  and  Mount 
Hood. 


49 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


THE    DALLES 

E~STG  ago,  after   Sahale   had  broken   down  the 
bridge  of  the  gods,   Klickitat  and  Wiyeast 
still   quarrelled    over  Loo-wit.      When   they 
quarrelled,  sheets  of  flame  burst  from  their  peaks,  and 
they  threw  great  rocks  at  one  another.     But  Klickitat 
and  Wiyeast  did  not  throw  far  enough.     The  rocks 
fell  into  the  Great  River,  and  blocked  it.     Therefore 
the  river  is  very  narrow  and  very  swift  at  that  point. 
Thus  it  is  called  the  Dalles. 


OF   THE    PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


THE    STORY    OF   ASHISH 

Klamath 

AIISH,  they  say,  having  many  people  with 
him,  gambled.  While  on  their  way  gam- 
bling, they  built  fires.  Purple-blue  was  the 
fire  of  Ashish ;  the  fire  of  Silver-Fox  was  yellow 
only ;  the  fire  of  Kemush  was  smoke  only. 

Then  they  shot  at  the  target.  Ashish  hit  it 
straight ;  Silver-Fox  slightly  missed  the  mark ; 
Kemush  hit  this  side  of  the  mark.  All  the  others 
struck  far  this  side  of  the  mark.  After  doing  so  they 
began  gambling  again.  They  bet  on  many  things. 
Then  Ashish  won  over  them.  About  noon  all  the 
men  had  lost  all  they  had.  Then  they  went  to  their 
lodges. 

Now  Ashish  had  five  wives.  Mud  Hen  was  one 
wife  of  Ashish ;  Long-tail  Squirrel  was  one  wife ; 
Sandhill  Crane  was  one  wife  ;  Mallard  was  one  wife  ; 
Chaffinch  was  one  wife. 

Then  Kemush  plotted  secretly.  After  daybreak 
he  plotted  against  Ashish.  Then  Kemush  began  to 
weep,  pretending  to  remember  the  inherited  place 

51 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

where  his  father  had  killed  eagles.  Now  declared 
Kemush  to  Ashish,  "  Far  away  is  the  killing  place  of 
the  young  eagles.  I  kill  them  not,  being  afraid." 
Then  they  set  out  together,  Kemush  and  Ashish. 
Now  Kemush  coveted  Little  Squirrel,  the  wife  of 
Ashish. 

Then  they  saw  eagles.  Kemush  pointed  out  the 
pine  for  Ashish  to  climb  up.  Then  the  eagles 
flew  on  the  pine.  Ashish  climbed  up,  but  as  he 
climbed  the  tree  grew.  Far  up,  the  pine  now 
touched  the  sky.  Ashish  having  climbed  to  the  top, 
saw  only  the  young  ones  of  a  lark,  although  it  was 
the  eyrie  of  an  eagle.  Thus  Ashish  wept,  sitting  in 
the  eyrie. 

Then  Kemush  went  away.  He  dressed  himself 
to  appear  like  Ashish.  He  came  back  to  the  lodge 
from  the  pine  tree. 

Now  the  wives  of  Ashish  became  suspicious. 
"This  one  is  Kemush/'  —  thus  said  the  wives  of 
Ashish.  Next  morning  they  all  went  with  those 
who  were  in  the  habit  of  gambling  with  Ashish. 
They  built  a  fire  while  gambling.  And  from  the 
fire  of  Kemush  smoke  only  curled  up.  Then  they 
suspected,  and  said,  "  This  is  not  Ashish.  This  is 
Kemush," — thus  said  those  afar  off,  "Ashish  did 
not  come.  The  fire  of  Ashish  is  not  burning  there." 

52 


Photo  by  Lee  A 


TIN-TIN-MIT-SI,  CAYUSE  WARRIOR 
The  fox  tail  was  formerly  very  significant,  indicating  a  warrior's  bravery 


YAKIMA    WARRIOR    WITH    CEREMONIAL    PIPE    AND    BEADED 
TOBACCO  POUCH 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

Thus  said  the  followers  in  the  distance.  Those  in 
the  distance  also  said,  "  Ye  will  find  out  this  man 
after  he  has  shot  at  the  mark.  Ashish  always  hits 
straight." 

Then  they  shot.  Kemush  struck  far  this  side  of 
the  mark.  Silver-Fox  missed  a  little.  Then  they 
commenced  gambling  and  they  won  over  Kemush. 
All  day  long  they  won  many  stakes.  Then  they 
went  back  to  the  lodges.  Then  they  quit  gambling 
for  they  missed  Ashish. 

Now  Ashish's  wives  wept  constantly  and  left  their 
lodges  to  dig  roots.  Four  wives  put  pitch  on  their 
heads.  Only  Mallard  mourned  not  for  Ashish. 

Then  Ashish  heard  the  weeping  cries  of  Sandhill 
Crane,  and  Ashish  wept  hearing  them.  Now  Ashish 
was  far  away  close  to  the  sky.  He  was  nothing  but 
bones.  Then  two  butterflies  flew  up  close  to  the  sky 
and  saw  Ashish.  Then  they  flew  back,  having  seen 
him.  They  returned  home  and  said  to  their  father, 
"  A  good  man  will  soon  perish.  Far  off,  close  to  the 
sky,  we  saw  that  man,  nothing  but  bones.  He  will 
soon  die."  Thus  they  said  to  their  father. 

The  father  ordered  them  early  next  morning  to 
fly  up  with  a  basket  strung  around  them.  So  the 
butterflies  carried  up  there  food,  carrying  water 
also.  They  raised  up  Ashish  in  that  eyrie.  Then 

53 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS 

inquired  those  butterflies,  "  What  are  you  doing 
up  here?" 

Then  Ashish  said,  "Kemush  sent  me  after  the 
eagles.  And  I  climbed  the  small  pine  and  it  grew 
up  under  me.  The  pine  grew  up  during  my  climbing. 
Then  I  saw  eagles.  Of  the  lark  saw  I  only  the 
young."  So  Ashish  said,  giving  explanations  to 
them. 

Then  the  butterflies  spread  a  wildcat's  skin  in  the 
willow  basket.  They  placed  Ashish  in  it,  after 
giving  him  food,  giving  him  water  also.  Then  they 
took  him  in  the  basket  down  to  the  ground.  Thus 
he  returned.  Then  he  lay  sick  a  long  time,  then  he 
recovered. 


54 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


CREATION   OF   MANKIND 

Pit  River 

(Achomawi) 

SILVER-FOX  and  Coyote  lived  together.     Sil- 
ver-Fox gathered  some  service-berry  sticks  and 
whittled  them  down,  working  all  night.     The 
shavings  were  to  be  made  into  common  people.     The 
finished  sticks  were  to  be  warriors  and  chiefs.     About 
sunset  the  next  day  he  was  ready  to  make  them  alive. 
They  turned    into    people.     Then   Silver-Fox   sent 
them  away,  some  in  one  direction  and  some  in  an- 
other.    Then  he  and  Coyote  had  a  big  feast. 

But  Coyote  wanted  also  to  make  people,  so  he 
did  everything  he  had  seen  Silver-Fox  do.  He 
gathered  some  service-berry  sticks  and  whittled  them 
down,  working  all  night.  About  sunset  the  next  day 
he  was  ready  to  make  them  alive.  They  turned  into 
people.  Then  Coyote  ran  after  some  of  the  women 
and  after  a  long  chase  caught  them.  But  so  soon  as 
he  touched  them,  they  turned  into  shavings. 


55 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 


AS-AI-YAHAL 

Tillamook 

AAI-YAHAL,  the  god,  lived  far  up  in  the 
country.     A  long  time  ago  he  travelled  all 
over  the  world.     He  came  down  the  river 
and  arrived  at  Natahts.     There  he  gathered  clams 
and   mussels.     He  made  a  fire   and   roasted    them. 
When  he  opened  them,  he  found  two  animals  in  each 
shell.     After  he  had  roasted  them  he  began  to  eat 
and  soon  had  enough.     That  made  him  angry  and 
he  said,  "  Henceforth  there  shall  be  only  one  animal 
in  each  shell." 

The  god  came  to  Tillamook  Bay  and  then  went 
up  the  river.     He  had  to  cross  it  far  up  because  he 
had  no  canoe  and  the  river  was  deep.     He  met  a 
number  of  women  who  were  digging  roots. 
He  asked,  "  What  are  you  doing  there  ? " 
They  replied,  "  We  are  digging  roots." 
He  said,  "  I  do  not  like  that."     He  took  the  roots 
away  and   sent   them  to   Clatsop.     Ever  'since  that 
time  there  have  been  no  roots  at  Tillamook  while 

at  Clatsop  they  are  very  plentiful. 

56 


"IT    WAS    SO    COLD    THE    ANIMALS    ALMOST    FROZE    TO    DEATH 


(Page  42) 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

He  went  on  and  came  to  a  river  full  of  salmon 
which  were  clapping  their  fins.  He  caught  one 
of  them,  threw  it  ashore,  stepped  on  it,  and  flat- 
tened it.  It  became  a  flounder.  Ever  since  then 
flounders  have  been  plentiful  at  Tillamook  while 
there  have  been  no  salmon  there. 

As-ai-yahal  travelled  on  and  came  to  a  house  in 
which  he  saw  people  lying  around  the  fire. 

He  asked,  "  What  is  the  matter?    Are  you  sick  ? " 

"No,"  they  replied,  "  we  are  starving.  East  Wind 
wants  to  kill  us.  The  river,  sea,  and  beach  are 
frozen  over  and  we  cannot  get  any  food." 

Then  he  said,  "  Can't  you  make  East  Wind  stop 
blowing  so  you  can  secure  food  ? " 

He  went  out  of  the  house  and  far  up  the  river, 
which  was  frozen  over.  It  was  so  slippery  he  could 
hardly  stand.  He  went  up  the  river  to  meet  East 
Wind  and  to  conquer  him.  Before  he  came  to  the 
house  of  East  Wind,  he  took  up  some  pieces  of  ice 
which  he  threw  into  the  river,  saying,  "  Henceforth 
it  shall  not  be  as  cold  as  it  is  now.  Winter  shall  be 
a  little  cold  but  not  very  much  so.  You  shall  be- 
come herring."  The  ice  at  once  became  herring 
and  swam  down  the  river. 

As-ai-yahal  went  on  until  he  reached  the  house 
of  East  Wind.  He  entered  and  whistled.  He  was 

57 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

trembling  with  cold,  but  did  not  go  near  the  fire. 
He  said,  "  I  am  so  warm  I  cannot  go  near  the  fire." 
Then  he  told  East  Wind  he  came  from  a  house  where 
they  were  drying  herring. 

East  Wind  said,  "Don't  say  so.  It  is  winter 
now.  There  will  be  no  herring  for  a  long  time 
to  come." 

As-ai-yahal  replied,  "Don't  you  believe  me? 
There  are  plenty  of  herring  outside."  He  took  an 
icicle  which  he  warmed  at  the  fire.  "  Look  how 
quickly  it  boils,"  he  said  to  East  Wind  as  the  ice 
melted.  He  made  East  Wind  believe  that  the 
melting  ice  was  a  herring. 

Then  East  Wind  ceased  to  blow,  the  ice  began 
to  melt,  and  the  people  had  plenty  of  food.  Until 
then,  it  had  been  winter  all  the  year ;  now  we  have 
both  summer  and  winter. 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

THE   GOLDEN   AGE 

'Tinne 

ENG  ago  the  world  was  only  a  great  sheet  of 
water.     There  was  no  land.     There  were  no 
people.     Only  the  Thunder  Bird  lived.     The 
beating  of  its  wings  was  thunder.     Its  glance  was 
lightning.     Then  the  Thunder  Bird  flew  down  and 
touched  the  water.     Thus  the  earth  arose.     Then 
the  Thunder   Bird   flew   down  again  and   touched 
the  earth.     Thus  the  animals  were  created.     Thus 
Thunder  Bird  created  all  living  things  except  people. 
Dog  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Tinne. 

Then  Thunder  Bird  gave  to  the  Tinne  a  sacred 
arrow.  This  arrow  was  never  to  be  used  or  lost. 
Thus  the  Tinne,  because  of  the  sacred  arrow,  never 
died.  Men  wore  out  their  throats  with  eating.  Men 
lived  so  long  their  feet  wore  out  from  walking.  Thus 
the  Tinne  were  happy.  Then  they  disobeyed  Thun- 
der Bird.  They  used  the  sacred  arrow,  therefore 
Arrow  flew  away.  Thus  the  Tinne  now  die  as  do 
other  Indians. 


59 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


THE   FIRST  TOTEM   POLE* 

Kwakiutl 

ONCE  there  was  a  chief  who  had  never  had 
a  dance.  All  the  other  chiefs  had  big 
dances,  but  Wakiash  none.  Therefore  Wa- 
kiash  was  unhappy.  He  thought  for  a  long  while 
about  the  dance.  Then  he  went  up  into  the  moun- 
tains to  fast.  Four  days  he  fasted.  On  the  fourth 
day  he  fell  asleep.  Then  something  fell  on  his  breast. 
It  was  a  green  frog.  Frog  said,  "  Wake  up."  Then 
Wakiash  waked  up.  He  looked  about  to  see  where 
he  was.  Frog  said,  "You  are  on  Raven's  back. 
Raven  will  fly  around  the  world  with  you." 

So  Raven  flew.  Raven  flew  all  around  the  world. 
Raven  showed  Wakiash  everything  in  the  world.  On 
the  fourth  day,  Raven  flew  past  a  house  with  a  totem 
pole  in  front  of  it.  Wakiash  could  hear  singing  in 
the  house.  Wakiash  wished  he  could  take  the  totem 
pole  and  the  house  with  him.  Now  Frog  knew  what 
Wakiash  was  thinking.  Frog  told  Raven.  Raven 
stopped  and  Frog  told  Wakiash  to  hide  behind  the 

*  As  told  by  Natalie  Curtis. 
60 


Copyrighted  by  F.  H. 


TOTEM  POLES 


Photo  by  Let  Moorhoitse 


THE  BASKET  MAKER 


OF   THE   PACIFIC    NORTHWEST 

door.     Frog  said,  "  When  they  dance,  jump  out  into 
the  room." 

The  people  in  the  house  began  to  dance.  They 
were  animal  people.  But  they  could  not  sing  or 
dance.  One  said,  "  Something  is  the  matter.  Some 


one  is  near  us.'3 


Chief  said,  "  Let  one  who  can  run  faster  than  the 
flames  go  around  the  house  and  see." 

So  Mouse  went.  Mouse  could  go  anywhere,  even 
into  a  box.  Now  Mouse  looked  like  a  woman ;  she 
had  taken  off  her  animal  clothes.  Mouse  ran  out, 
but  Wakiash  caught  her. 

Wakiash  said,  "  Wait.  I  will  give  you  some- 
thing." So  he  gave  her  a  piece  of  mountain  goat's 
fat.  Wakiash  said  to  Mouse,  "  I  want  the  totem  pole 
and  the  house.  I  want  the  dances  and  the  songs." 

Mouse  said,  "  Wait  until  I  come  again." 

Mouse  went  back  into  the  house.  She  said,  "  I 
could  find  nobody."  So  the  animal  people  tried  again 
to  dance.  They  tried  three  times.  Each  time,  Chief 
sent  Mouse  out  to  see  if  some  one  was  near.  Each 
time,  Mouse  talked  with  Wakiash.  The  third  time 
Mouse  said,  "When  they  begin  to  dance, jump  into 
the  room." 

So  the  animal  people  began  to  dance.  Then 
Wakiash  sprang  into  the  room.  The  dancers  were 

ashamed.     They  had  taken  off  their  animal  clothes 

61 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

and  looked  like  men.  So  the  animal  people  were 
silent.  Then  Mouse  said,  "What  does  this  man 
want  ? "  Now  Wakiash  wanted  the  totem  pole  and 
the  house.  He  wanted  the  dances  and  the  songs. 
Mouse  knew  what  Wakiash  was  thinking.  Mouse 
told  the  animal  people. 

Chief  said,  "Let  the  man  sit  down.  We  will  show 
him  how  to  dance."  So  they  danced.  Then  Chief 
asked  Wakiash  what  kind  of  a  dance  he  would  like 
to  choose.  They  were  using  masks  for  the  dance. 
Wakiash  wanted  the  Echo  mask,  and  the  Little  Man 
mask,  —  the  little  man  who  talks,  talks,  and  quarrels 
with  others.  Mouse  told  the  people  what  Wakiash 
was  thinking. 

Then  Chief  said,  "You  can  take  the  totem  pole 
and  the  house  also.  You  can  take  the  masks  and 
dances,  for  one  dance."  Then  Chief  folded  up  the 
house  very  small.  He  put  it  in  a  dancer's  headdress. 
Chief  said,  "When  you  reach  home,  throw  down 
this  bundle.  The  house  will  unfold  and  you  can  give 
a  dance." 

Then  Wakiash  went  back  to  Raven.  Wakiash 
climbed  on  Raven's  back  and  went  to  sleep.  When 
he  awoke,  Raven  and  Frog  were  gone.  Wakiash  was 
alone.  It  was  night  and  the  tribe  was  asleep.  Then 

Wakiash  threw  down  the  bundle.     Behold!  the  house 

62 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

and  totem  pole  were  there.  The  whale  painted  on 
the  house  was  blowing.  The  animals  on  the  totem 
pole  were  making  noises.  At  once  the  tribe  woke 
up.  They  came  to  see  Wakiash.  Wakiash  found 
he  had  been  gone  four  yeafs  instead  of  four  days. 

Then  Wakiash  gave  a  great  dance.  He  taught  the 
people  the  songs.  Echo  came  to  the  dance.  He  re- 
peated all  the  sounds  they  made.  When  they  finished 
the  dance,  behold!  the  house  was  gone.  It  went 
back  to  the  animal  people.  Thus  all  the  chiefs  were 
ashamed  because  Wakiash  had  the  best  dance. 

Then  Wakiash  made  out  of  wood  a  house  and 
another  totem  pole.  They  called  it  Kalakuyuwish, 
"the  pole  that  holds  up  the  sky." 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 


SPIRIT   OF    SNOW 

SPIRIT  of  Snow  did  not  like  people.     He  was 
very  stingy.     Spirit  of  Snow  did  not  wish  that 
people  should  eat  of  the  deer  and  elk.     There- 
fore the  Indians  did  not  like  him.     Therefore  when 
too  much  snow  fell,  Indians  outwitted  Spirit  of  Snow. 
They  said  a  charm  to  him.     They  said  this  to  Spirit 
of  Snow,  "  Hither  drive  the  elk,  the  Black-Necked 
ones  that  dwell  back  to  the  mountains,  in  dark  places 
under  the  trees." 

Thus  it  was  customary  to  speak  to  Snow.  Then 
it  no  longer  snowed.  Again  he  became  quiet.  Snow 
is  stingy.  He  does  not  desire  to  drive  down  elk. 


64 


OF   THE   PACIFIC  NORTHWEST 


OWL  AND   RAVEN 

Eskimo 

OWL  and  Raven  were  close  friends.  One  day 
Raven  made  a  new  dress,  dappled  black  and 
white,  for  Owl.  Owl,  in  return,  made  for 
Raven  a  pair  of  whalebone  boots  and  then  began  to 
make  for  her  a  white  dress.  When  Owl  wanted  to 
fit  the  dress,  Raven  hopped  about  and  would  not  sit 
still.  Owl  became  very  angry  and  said,  "  If  I  fly 
over  you  with  a  blubber  lamp,  don't  jump."  Raven 
continued  to  hop  about.  At  last  Owl  became  very 
angry  and  emptied  the  blubber  lamp  over  the  new 
white  dress.  Raven  cried,  "  Qaq  !  Qaq  !  "  Ever 
since  that  day  Raven  has  been  black  all  over. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


E 


CRADLE   SONG 

Modoc 

ARLY  in  the  morning  robin  will  eat  ants, 
Early,  early  will  it  pick  at  the  cedar  tree, 
Early  in  the  morning  it  chatters,  "  Tchiwip, 

tchiwip, 

Tchitch,  tsits,  techitch." 


66 


UMATILLA  SQUAW  AND  PAPPOOSE 


Photo  by  Lee  Moorhouse 


YAKIMA  MAIDEN 


Many  chiefs  loved  Loo-wit  because  she  was  so  beautiful " 

(Page  48) 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


WOODRAT   AND   RABBITS 

Modoc 

A  WOODRAT  lived  with  its  mother.  Five 
cotton-tail  rabbits  lived  near  by.  Rat  said  to 
Rabbit,  "  Let  us  have  a  quarrel." 

Rabbit  said,  "  Why  do  you  want  to  quarrel  with 
me?" 

Woodrat  replied,  "  That 's  all  right.  Let  us  have 
a  fuss.  Don't  you  always  prefer  the  bitter  leaves  of 
some  sort  of  cabbage  to  everything  else  ? " 

Rabbit  answered,  "  You  must  be  a  thief.  Only 
yesterday  I  saw  you  watching  carefully  for  the  right 
moment  to  steal  something.  Your  big  ears  were  bent 
sidewise." 

Woodrat  replied,  "  And  you  I  see  always  skip- 
ping about  with  your  crooked  legs  to  snatch  leaves 
from  the  cabbage  bush." 

Rabbit  said,  "  You  are  an  old  fool.  You  are  good 
for  nothing  except  to  eat  holes  in  your  grandmother's 
dress.  That  is  why  you  want  to  attack  me." 

Woodrat  went  to  a  distance  and  spread  out  a  net  to 

67 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

catch  Rabbit.  Then  he  seized  a  stick,  drove  Rabbit 
into  the  net,  and  beat  him  to  death. 

Woodrat  went  to  the  Second  Rabbit.  "  Let  us 
have  a  fight." 

"  Why  should  we  fight  ? "  asked  Second  Rabbit. 

They  fought  because  Second  Rabbit  said  Woodrat 
ate  up  his  grandmother's  long  dress. 

Woodrat  went  to  Third  Rabbit.  "  You  are  noth- 
ing but  a  fool  —  a  good-for-nothing  eater  of  cabbage 
leaves,"  said  Woodrat. 

Rabbit  answered,  "  You  are  a  thief.  You  live  in 
an  old  wooden  shed." 

So  Woodrat  started  a  quarrel  with  all  the  cotton- 
tail rabbits.  Thus  Woodrat  killed  all  five  cotton-tail 
rabbits. 

Then  Woodrat  and  his  mother  ate  them  up. 
They  danced  over  them  a  medicine  dance.  While 
they  danced,  Woodrat's  wooden  lodge  caught  fire. 
Thus  Woodrat  and  his  mother  were  burned  to  death. 

This  is  the  end  of  the  tale. 


68 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


QUARREL   OF   SUN   AND    MOON 

Siouan 

IN  the  days  of  the  first  grandfather,  Niaba,  the 
Moon,  and  Mi,  the  Sun,  lived  upon  the  earth. 
Then  they  quarrelled. 

Said  Niaba :  "  I  am  out  of  patience  with  you.  I 
gather  the  people  but  you  scatter  them.  You  cause 
them  to  be  lost." 

Said  Mi,  the  Sun :  "  I  wish  for  many  people  to 
grow,  so  I  scatter  them.  You  put  them  in  darkness ; 
thus  you  kill  many  with  hunger."  Then  Mi  called 
to  the  people,  "  Ho  !  Ye  who  are  people.  Many 
of  you  shall  grow  strong.  I  will  look  down  on  you 
from  above.  I  will  rule  all  your  work." 

Said  Niaba :  "  And  I,  too,  will  dwell  above  you. 
I  will  gather  you  when  it  is  dark.  Assembling  in 
full  numbers,  you  shall  sleep.  I  myself  will  rule  all 
your  work.  We  will  walk  in  the  trail,  one  after  the 
other.  I  will  walk  behind  him." 

So  Niaba  follows  Mi  on  the  trail  in  the  sky.  Ni- 
aba is  just  like  a  woman.  She  always  walks  with  a 
kettle  on  her  arm. 

69 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


CHINOOK   WIND 

Taklma 

ONCE  five  brothers  lived  on  Great  River. 
They  were  the  Chinook  brothers  and  they 
caused  the  warm  wind  to  blow.  There 
were  five  other  brothers  who  lived  on  Great  River. 
They  lived  at  Walla  Walla,  the  meeting  of  the  waters. 
They  caused  the  cold  wind  to  blow.  Now  the 
grandparents  of  all  these  brothers  lived  at  Umatilla, 
the  place  of  wind-drifted  sands. 

Walla  Walla  brothers  and  Chinook  brothers  were 
always  fighting.  They  made  the  winds  to  sweep 
over  the  country,  they  blew  down  trees  and  raised 
great  clouds  of  dust,  they  froze  the  rivers  and  thawed 
them  so  as  to  make  floods.  It  was  very  hard  for  the 
people. 

At  last  Walla  Walla  brothers  said  to  Chinook 
brothers:  "We  will  wrestle  with  you.  Whoever 
falls  down  shall  have  his  head  cut  off.  Thus  he  shall 
be  dead/'  So  Coyote  was  made  judge.  He  was  also 
to  cut  the  heads  off  those  who  fell  down. 

Now   Coyote   secretly    told    the   grandparents    of 

70 


1 


YOUNG  CHINOOK  COULD  PULL  UP  LARGE  FIR  TREES  AND  THROW  THEM 

AROUND    LIKE    WEEDS " 

(Page  77) 


Plioto  by  Lee  Moorhouse.     Copyrighted 


AN  INDIAN  MADONNA 
Yakima 


OF   THE   PACIFIC    NORTHWEST 

Chinook  brothers  to  throw  oil  on  the  ground.  Then 
their  sons  would  not  fall.  Coyote  also  secretly  told 
the  grandparents  of  Walla  Walla  brothers  to  throw 
ice  on  the  ground.  Then  their  sons  would  not  fall. 
The  oil  and  the  ice  made  the  ground  very  slippery. 
But  the  Walla  Walla  grandparents  had  thrown  ice  on 
the  ground  last.  So  Chinook  brothers  fell  down. 
First  one  fell  and  then  another,  until  all  fell  down. 
Then  Coyote  cut  off  their  heads. 

Now  the  oldest  Chinook  brother  had  a  baby  son. 
The  baby's  mother  taught  him  he  must  revenge  his 
father  and  uncles.  So  Young  Chinook  grew  very 
strong.  At  last  he  felt  himself  very  strong.  He 
could  pull  up  large  fir  trees  and  throw  them  around 
like  weeds. 

Then  Young  Chinook  went  up  Great  River. 
Wherever  he  went  he  pulled  up  large  fir  trees  and 
threw  them  around  like  weeds.  In  the  valley  of  the 
Yakima  he  turned  aside  and  went  to  sleep  by  Setas, 
the  creek.  The  mark  of  his  sleeping-place  can  still 
be  seen  on  the  mountain  side. 

Then  Young  Chinook  came  back  to  the  Great 
River  and  went  to  Umatilla,  the  place  of  wind-drifted 
sands.  Here  he  found  his  grandparents  very  cold 
and  hungry.  Walla  Walla  brothers  caused  the  north- 
east wind  to  blow  all  the  time.  They  also  stole  their 

71 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

fish,  when  they  were  returning  to  the  shore.  Always 
they  stole  the  fish. 

Young  Chinook  said  :  "  We  will  go  fishing  now." 
So  grandfather  started  out  to  fish.  Young  Chinook 
lay  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  When  the  boat 
was  full  of  fish,  grandfather  started  back  for  the  shore. 
Then  Walla  Walla  brothers  started  out  from  the 
shore  to  rob  grandfather.  But  they  could  not  catch 
the  boat.  Every  time  Walla  Walla  brothers  came 
near  the  boat,  it  would  shoot  ahead.  So  grandfather 
reached  the  shore  with  his  fish.  Then  Young  Chi- 
nook took  his  grandparents  to  the  river  and  bathed 
them.  All  the  straw  and  grass  and  bark  which  he 
washed  off  became  trout.  That  is  how  trout  came 
to  be  in  Great  River. 

Now  Walla  Walla  brothers  knew  that  Young  Chi- 
nook was  alive.  They  sent  a  messenger  to  him. 
They  said :  "  We  will  wrestle  with  you.  Whoever 

falls  down  shall  have  his  head  cut  off.     Thus  he  shall 

5/- '••-('..  f' 
be  dead."     So  Goyote  was  made  judge.     He  was  also 

to  cut  off  the  heads  of  those  who  fell  down. 

Now  Coyote  secretly  told  the  grandparents  of 
Walla  Walla  brothers  to  throw  ice  on  the  ground. 
Coyote  also  secretly  told  the  grandparents  of  Young 
Chinook  to  throw  oil  on  the  ground.  But  he  told 
them  to  throw  oil  last.  So  young  Chinook  wrestled 

7* 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

with  Walla  Walla  brothers,  one  after  another.  So 
the  Walla  Walla  brothers  fell  to  the  ground.  First 
one  fell  and  then  another,  until  four  had  fallen. 
Then  Coyote  cut  off  their  heads.  The  fifth  one 
yielded  without  wrestling.  So  -Qoyote  let  him  live. 
But  Coyote  said :  "  You  must  blow  only  lightly. 
You  must  never  freeze  people  again." 

To  Young  Chinook,  Coyote  said :  "  You  shall  blow 
hardest  only  at  night.  You  shall  blow  first  on  the 
mountain  ridges  to  warn  the  people." 

Thus  now  winter  is  only  a  little  cold. 


73 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


THE   MISER   OF    TAKHOMA 

Cowlitz 

ENG,  long  ago,  Miser  lived  near  the  foot  of 
Takhoma.  He  never  was  happy.  When 
food  was  scarce  and  the  tribe  were  starving, 
Miser  could  find  fish  in  secret  places  in  the  streams. 
When  the  snows  were  deep  and  the  black-necked  elk 
hid  in  the  dark  places  of  the  forest,  he  could  still 
secure  meat.  His  skill  as  a  hunter  and  fisherman 
was  known  to  all  his  tribe.  But  Miser  cared  only 
for  hiaqua.  Now  Moosmoos,  the  elk,  was  Miser's 
tomanowos.  Therefore  he  tried  to  talk  with  the  elk, 
even  while  hunting  them.  He  wanted  more  hiaqua. 
One  night  Moosmoos  whispered  to  Miser  the 
secret  hiding-place  of  the  hiaqua  of  the  tomanowos. 
The  hiding-place  was  high  up  on  Takhoma.  Early 
in  the  morning,  Miser  began  to  make  ready  fox-  his 
search.  He  sent  his  klootchman  to  dig  camas  roots. 
Thus  he  could  work  secretly.  He  made  two  elk- 
horn  picks  by  taking  off  all  the  prongs  except  the 
upper  ones.  He  filled  his  ikta  with  kinnikinnick, 

74 


OF   THE    PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

and  with  dried  salmon.  At  sunset  Miser  began  to 
climb  the  mountain. 

All  night  he  climbed  the  trail.  All  the  next  day 
he  climbed.  By  night  again  he  was  above  the  snow 
line,  cold  and  tired  and  hungry.  When  the  moon 
arose,  he  climbed  again.  Over  vast  snow  fields,  across 
wide  cracks  in  the  ice,  over  the  slippery  shoulders  of 
the  lower  peaks  he  climbed.  At  sunrise  he  reached 
the  top.  Now  Takhoma  was  the  home  of  the  tom- 
anowos,  therefore  Miser  was  afraid.  But  Moosmoos 
had  told  him  where  the  hiaqua  was  hidden. 

In  the  white  snow  field  which  covered  the  crater 
was  a  black  lake.  Beyond  it  were  three  stones  of 
equal  height,  all  as  tall  as  a  giant.  The  top  of  the 
first  was  shaped  like  a  salmon's  head.  The  top  of 
the  second  was  like  a  camas  root,  and  the  third,  like 
an  elk's  head.  Then  Miser  believed  the  voice  of 
Moosmoos. 

Miser  threw  down  his  ikta.  He  unwrapped  his 
elk-horn  pick.  Then  he  began  to  dig  in  the  snow 
at  the  foot  of  the  elk's  head. 

Miser  struck  the  first  blow.  As  an  echo  he  heard 
a  sudden  puff".  Startled,  he  turned  to  see  a  huge  otter 
climbing  out  of  the  black  waters  of  the  lake.  Big 
Otter  struck  his  tail  with  a  loud  thump  on  the  snow. 
Another  otter  appeared,  then  another.  At  last  twelve 

75 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

otters  gathered  in  a  circle  around  their  huge  leader. 
They  formed  a  circle  around  Miser,  digging  with  his 
pick  at  the  foot  of  the  elk's  head.  Then  Big  Otter 
leaped  to  the  top  of  the  elk's  head.  All  the  otters 
gave  a  loud  puff. 

Miser  kept  digging.  At  every  thirteenth  blow  of 
the  pick  Big  Otter  thumped  with  his  tail  on  the  elk's 
head.  Then  the  circle  of  twelve  thumped  with  theirs 
on  the  snow. 

Miser  became  tired  and  stopped  digging  for  a 
moment.  Big  Otter  turned  on  the  elk's  head.  With 
his  tail  he  struck  Miser  on  the  shoulder.  Then  the 
twelve  turned,  walked  backward,  and  struck  him 
with  their  tails.  Miser  began  to  dig  again. 

As  he  dug  in  the  rock,  his  pick  broke.  Big  Otter 
jumped  from  the  elk's  head.  He  seized  the  second 
pick  in  his  mouth  and  gave  it  to  him. 

Miser  dared  not  stop.  With  each  thirteenth  blow 
of  the  pick  and  the  thump  of  the  tails,  the  otters 
came  nearer.  He  could  feel  their  breath  as  he 
lifted  the  last  stone.  Beneath  lay  a  great  hole,  filled 
with  hiaqua.  As  he  lifted  out  the  shells,  the  otters 
returned  to  their  larger  circle. 

Miser  lifted  out  handful  after  handful  of  the  shell 
money.  He  strung  the  hiaqua  on  elk  sinews,  twenty 

strings  in   all.     The   rest   he    covered  again.      He 

76 


HIAQUA  SHELLS 
Taken  from  an  old  Indian  grave  at  Fort  Columbia 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

hurried,  for  it  was  after  noon  and  he  must  return 
below  the  snow  line.  Then  Miser  left  the  elk's 
head.  He  offered  no  shells  to  Moosmoos  or  to 
Sahale.  He  had  forgotten  the  tomanowos. 

As  he  crossed  the  crater,  the  otters,  one  by  one, 
with  a  loud  puff,  jumped  into  the  black  lake.  They 
began  to  beat  the  black  water  with  their  tails.  He 
heard  them  beat  the  water  as  he  plunged  through 
the  snow  to  the  edge  of  the  crater.  Miser  felt  that 
the  shells  were  very  heavy. 

As  he  stepped  over  the  edge  of  the  crater,  he 
glanced  back.  The  three  stones  had  vanished.  A 
thick  mist  rose  from  the  black  waters  of  the  lake. 
Under  the  mist  was  a  black  cloud,  hiding  the  water. 
Miser  feared  tomanowos  in  the  clouds. 

Then  the  storm  seized  him.  It  flung  him  over  an 
ice  bank.  The  blackness  of  all  darkness  lay  around 
him.  Colenass,  the  storm  god,  came  down  upon  the 
mountain.  Tootah,  the  thunder,  deafened  him  with 
its  roar.  The  storm  crashed  about  him.  Fiery  blasts 
melted  the  snow  into  great  torrents.  Icy  winds  froze 
them  solid  again.  In  the  roar  and  thunder,  Miser 
heard  the  voice  of  Kakahete,  hyas  tomanowos.  Heard 
also  the  voices  of  all  the  tomanowos,  "  Ha,  ha, 
hiaqua  !  Ha,  ha,  hiaqua  !  " 

Miser  threw  away  a  string  of  hiaqua.  The  storm 

77 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

slackened  for  a  moment.  Then  all  began  again, 
louder  than  ever.  Kakahete  screamed,  "  Ha,  ha, 
hiaqua  !  Ha,  ha,  hiaqua  !  " 

One  by  one,  Miser  threw  away  the  strings  of  hiaqua, 
strung  on  the  sinews  of  Moosmoos,  the  elk.  Always 
the  tomanowos  screamed  after  him.  Then  when  the 
last  string  was  gone,  with  a  last  gust  the  storm  blew 
him  down,  flat  upon  the  ground. 

Miser  slept  a  long  time.  When  he  awoke,  Tak- 
homa  glistened  above  him,  shining  white  in  the  sun- 
light. All  around  him  grew  camas  roots.  Rocky 
ridges  lay  where  once  the  forest  had  stretched. 
Sunny  meadows  lay  around  him.  Miser  stretched 
himself  and  arose.  Only  dry  leaves  and  dead  grass 
remained  in  the  rotted  ikta.  Miser  wondered.  Then 
he  went  down  the  mountain  side.  He  ate  berries 
for  food  until  he  came  to  a  cabin  in  the  valley. 
There  lived  a  very  old  woman.  He  talked  with 
her  and  found  she  was  his  klootchman.  Klootch- 
man  said  he  had  slept  thirty  snows.  Miser  looked  at 
himself  in  a  pool.  He  was  very  old.  His  hair  was 
white.  Many,  many  snows  had  the  angry  tomano- 
wos made  him  sleep.  But  Miser  was  happy.  He 
no  longer  cared  for  hiaqua. 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


WHY  THERE  ARE  NO  SNAKES  ON  TAK- 

HOMA 

i4  LONG,  long  time  ago,  Tyhee  Sahale  be- 
/  %  came  angry  with  the  people.  Sahale  ordered 
-^  a  medicine  man  to  take  his  bow  and  arrow 
and  shoot  into  the  cloud  which  hung  low  over  Tak- 
homa.  The  medicine  man  shot  the  arrow,  and  it 
stuck  fast  in  the  cloud.  Then  he  shot  another  into 
the  lower  end  of  the  first.  Then  he  shot  another 
into  the  lower  end  of  the  second.  He  shot  arrows 
until  he  had  made  a  chain  which  reached  from  the 
cloud  to  the  earth.  The  medicine  man  told  his 
klootchman  and  his  children  to  climb  up  the  arrow 
trail.  Then  he  told  the  good  animals  to  climb  up 
the  arrow  trail.  Then  the  medicine  man  climbed  up 
himself.  Just  as  he  was  climbing  into  the  cloud,  he 
looked  back.  A  long  line  of  bad  animals  and  snakes 
were  also  climbing  up  the  arrow  trail.  Therefore 
the  medicine  man  broke  the  chain  of  arrows.  Thus 
the  snakes  and  bad  animals  fell  down  on  the  mountain 
side.  Then  at  once  it  began  to  rain.  It  rained  until 
all  the  land  was  flooded.  Water  reached  even  to  the 

79 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

snow  line  of  Takhoma.  When  all  the  bad  animals 
and  snakes  were  drowned,  it  stopped  raining.  After 
a  while  the  waters  sank  again.  Then  the  medicine 
man,  and  his  klootchman,  and  the  children  climbed 
out  of  the  cloud  and  came  down  the  mountain  side. 
The  good  animals  also  climbed  out  of  the  cloud. 
Thus  there  are  now  no  snakes  or  bad  animals  on 
Takhoma. 


80 


OF   THE    PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

CRY-BECAUSE-HE-HAD-NO-WIFE 

Nez  Perc'e 

ONCE  there  was  a  little  boy.  He  was  an 
orphan.  This  boy  cried  day  and  night  and 
would  never  be  quiet.  His  grandmother 
asked  him  one  day,  "What  makes  you  cry?"  He 
said,  "  I  cry  because  I  want  a  wife/'  Now  his  grand- 
parents knew  of  a  girl  who  lived  toward  the  east  and 
they  sent  him  there. 

As  he  went  along  the  trail,  he  came  to  a  giant's 
house.  He  went  in  to  see  the  giant,  who  asked  him 
to  stay  to  breakfast.  The  giant  had  five  roasts  on  the 
fire.  He  had  four  large  roasts  and  one  small  one. 
He  said  to  the  boy,  "  Pick  out  the  roast  you  want  for 
breakfast."  The  boy  picked  out  the  small  roast. 
Now,  the  four  large  roasts  were  the  legs  of  people 
that  the  giant  had  killed.  The  small  roast  was  veni- 
son. The  boy  knew  this  from  what  his  grandmother 
had  told  him.  She  said,  "  Never  eat  too  much." 

After  breakfast  he  went  on.     On  the  road  he  came 

to  a  great  rock  cliff.     Its  name  was  Cliff-Giant  and 

it  crushed  people.     The  other  giant  had  told  him  of 

this  one,  and  how  to  get  by  it.     He  had  said,  "  Turn 

6  8. 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

yourself  into  a  little  dog  and  very  slowly  follow  the 
trail  under  the  Rock-Cliff.  Keep  your  eye  on  Rock- 
Cliff.  When  you  see  it  move,  run  fast/'  He  did 
this  and  escaped.  Then  he  went  on. 

He  could  see  at  a  distance  the  place  where  the 
girl  lived.  Until  he  came  in  sight  of  this  lodge  he 
had  never  left  off  crying.  Now,  this  girl  had  a  great 
horse  which  would  kill  people  before  they  could 
reach  her  lodge.  That  was  her  guard.  The  boy 
picked  up  two  large  stones  and  ran,  still  crying, 
toward  the  lodge.  The  animal  ran  at  the  boy,  but 
the  boy  spat  all  over  one  of  the  stones.  When  the 
horse  came  close,  he  threw  the  stone  behind  him. 
Then  the  horse  stopped  to  stamp  on  the  stone  and  the 
boy  ran  on.  He  was  almost  in  reach  of  the  lodge 
when  he  threw  the  other  stone.  The  horse  stopped 
to  stamp  on  that,  and  the  boy  reached  the  lodge  and 
jumped  in. 

Very  soon  the  girl  entered.  She  knew  him  at 
once  and  called  him  by  name  —  Iwapnep  Atswitki, 
Cry-because-he-had-no-wife.  She  talked  to  him  and 
asked  him  if  he  wanted  a  bath.  So  she  built  a  fire, 
heated  water,  and  prepared  him  a  bath.  When  he 
had  taken  the  bath  he  became  of  man's  size. 

Next    morning    they    started    toward    his    home. 

When  they  reached  this,  his  grandparents  were  very 

82 


Photo  by  Lee  Moorhoitse 


CAYUSE  SCOUT  WHO  WAS  WITH  McKAY  AT  THE  CAPTURE  OF  THE  MODOC 

CHIEF,  CAPTAIN  JACK 
Head  dress  is  made  chiefly  of  Modoc  scalp  locks  taken  at  that  time 


Photo  by  Lee  Moorhoiise 


LACK-UM-TIN,   UMATILLA  WARRIOR 
The  rawhide  shield  behind  is  ornamented  with  scalp  lock  and  eagle  feathers 


OF   THE    PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

old,  because  he  had  been  gone  many  years.  The 
girl  said  to  her  husband :  "  You  tell  your  grandparents 
to  do  nothing  wrong  to-night.  If  they  obey,  I  will 
give  them  a  bath  that  will  make  them  young  again." 
In  the  morning  she  did  so ;  but  they  had  not  obeyed 
her  directions  so  they  did  not  become  young  again. 
The  next  night  they  were  both  dead. 

Then  the  girl  and  her  husband  started  for  her  old 
home.  They  rode  back  on  the  great  horse  but  he 
did  not  go  very  well.  They  made  a  whip  out  of 
black  haw.  The  whip  said  to  them,  "  I  can  outlast 
all  other  whips."  They  made  a  whip  out  of  smoke- 
wood  (Coyote-rope).  This  whip  said,  "When  the 
giant  gets  too  close,  throw  me  down  and  I  will  tangle 
up  the  giant."  They  made  a  whip  out  of  mud.  This 
whip  said,  "  Throw  me  down  and  I  will  mire  the 
giant."  They  made  a  whip  out  of  slide-rock.  This 
whip  said,  "  Throw  me  down  and  the  giant  will  have 
trouble  in  getting  by."  They  made  a  whip  out  of 
red  haw.  This  whip  said,  "  Throw  me  down,  and 
I  will  tear  the  giant's  flesh."  They  made  a  whip 
out  of  big  mountains.  This  whip  said,  "  Throw  me 
down  and  the  giant  will  not  be  able  to  get  past 


me." 


When  they  had  finished  all  the  whips,  they  started 
to  pass  the  giant's  house.     The  giant  rushed  out  and 

83 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

cried,  "  Give  me  your  wife !  "  The  boy  answered, 
"  Get  me  a  drink  of  water  and  I  will  give  you  my 
wife."  When  the  giant  went  to  get  the  water,  the 
boy  whipped  up  the  horse  and  hurried  on.  They  had 
gone  some  ways  when  the  giant  came  out.  They 
threw  down  the  whip  of  black  haw.  He  almost 
overtook  them  and  they  threw  down  the  whip  of 
smoke-wood.  It  tangled  up  the  giant  until  they  got 
away.  When  the  giant  almost  overtook  them  again, 
they  threw  down  the  mud  whip  and  he  was  mired. 
When  the  giant  almost  overtook  them  the  fourth  time, 
they  threw  down  the  slide-rock  whip  and  the  giant 
had  great  trouble  in  getting  by.  When  the  giant  al- 
most overtook  them  the  fifth  time,  they  threw  down 
the  red-haw  whip,  and  it  tore  the  flesh  of  the  giant. 
And  when  the  giant  almost  overtook  them  the  sixth 
time,  they  threw  down  the  whip  of  high  mountains 
and  he  could  not  cross  it.  Thus  they  escaped. 


84 


OF   THE    PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

HOW   COYOTE    GOT    HIS   CUNNING 

Shastan 


E^G,  long  ago,  Chareya,  Old  Man  Above,  made 
first  the  fishes,  then  the  lower  animals.    After- 
wards he  made  a  man.      Chareya  ordered  the 
man  to  decide  the  rank  of  the  animals.     The  man 
said  he  would  give  to  each  a  bow.     By  the  length 
of  the  bow  given  him  would  each  animal  know  his 
rank.     The  next  day,  when  the  sun  was  new,  would 
man  give  away  the  bows. 

Coyote  listened.  If  he  received  the  longest  bow, 
he  would  be  the  most  important  animal  ;  he  decided 
not  to  sleep.  He  would  be  the  first  one  at  the  meet- 
ing place  when  the  day  was  new. 

Night  Owl  hooted,  Wolf  howled  in  the  darkness, 
and  Bat  flitted  over  his  head.  Coyote  slept  not. 
Robin  chirped  and  Thrush  sang  when  the  day  was 
new.  Coyote  slept.  So  Coyote  was  last  to  reach 
the  man  and  received  the  shortest  bow  of  all.  So 
Coyote  became  the  meanest  of  all  animals.  But  in 
his  distress,  Coyote  howled  to  the  man,  and  he,  in 
turn,  appealed  to  Old  Man  Above.  Chareya  ordered 
that  Coyote  should  be  the  most  cunning  of  all 
animals.  And  so  he  is  to  this  day. 

85 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 


THE   NAMING   OF    CREATION 

Nez  Perc'e 

COYOTE  was  chief  of  all  the  animals.     Now, 
he  told  them  that  the  tribes  of  men  were 
coming  near,  one  and  all.     Everything  he 
told  them  came  true.     Then  he  said,  "  To-morrow 
the  people  will  come  out  of  the  ground.     I  will  name 
them  and  they  will  spread  out." 

Then  he  named  them ;  he  named  them  until  he 
had  named  them  all.  And  the  people  came  out,  but 
Coyote  had  no  name  for  himself.  Many  people 
came  out.  Then  he  named  himself  Coyote.  Thus 
came  people,  —  not  we  alone,  but  all  people. 


86 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


THE   BIRD    CHIEF 

THEY  called  all  the  birds.     They  said,  "  The 
bird  which,  flying  farthest,  can  reach  the 
upper  world,  shall  be  chief."    All  the  birds 
high  in  the  air  went  to  equal  heights.     Now  Wren 
sat  beneath  the  thick  feathers  of  Eagle's  wing.     He 
sat  there  as  Eagle  flew. 

The  birds,  all  wing-tired,  returned  to  earth.  Only 
Eagle  went  above.  When  Eagle  had  gone  as  high 
as  he  could,  Wren  flew  beyond  him.  When  the  birds 
had  returned  below,  they  waited.  Eagle  returned 
alone  after  a  long  time.  They  counted  the  birds. 
Behold!  Wren  only,  he  had  not  returned.  They 
waited  for  him.  At  length,  after  a  long  time,  he 
returned.  Eagle  was  too  highly  thinking  of  himself, 
when  behold,  Wren  was  made  chief. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


THE  SPELL  OF  THE  LAUGHING  RAVEN 

Klamath 

AT  "  dance  place  "  when  the  Klamath  Lake 
people   danced,   many   people   were   there. 
Kemush,  Old  Man  of  the  Ancients,  went 
there.     Then  Old  Raven  laughed  at  them,  laughed 
when   they   danced,    and   all   people  dancing  there 
became  rocks. 

Gray  Wolf  entered  Kitti  above,  from  the  north. 
There  he  stopped  and  lay  down,  although  not  yet 
having  reached  his  home.  In  full  dress,  at  that  spot, 
moccasins  with  beads  on  toe,  stopped  and  rested. 
Then  Old  Grizzly  approached  Old  Gray  Wolf  while 
lying  asleep.  And  Old  Grizzly  stole  from  Gray  Wolf 
his  moccasins,  beads  also,  and  put  them  on  to  go  to 
the  fishing  place.  Upon  this,  Old  Gray  Wolf,  wak- 
ing up,  threw  Old  Grizzly  down  hill.  He  rolled  him 
down  over  the  rocks  for  having  robbed  him  of  moc- 
casins and  beads  also.  Thus  killed  he  Old  Grizzly. 

Upon  this,  the  Klamath  Lake  people  began  fight- 
ing the  Northerners  because  Old  Grizzly  had  been 
killed  by  Old  Gray  Wolf.  Then  Old  Raven  laughed 
at  them  when  fighting  and  they  became  rocks. 

88 


Copyright,  iyo6,  by  Case  &•  Draper 

CHILCAT  BLANKET  SHOWING  EYE  OF  THE  THUNDER  BIRD 


Copyright,  1906,  by  Case  &•  Draptt 


RAVEN  WITH  EYE  OF  THE  THUNDER  BIRD 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


ORIGIN   OF   THE   THUNDER   BIRD 

E~NG,  long  ago,  Toe-oo-lux,  South  Wind, 
travelled  to  the  north.  There  Toe-oo-lux 
met  Quoots-hooi,  the  giantess.  Toe-oo-lux 
said,  "  I  am  hungry.  Give  me  something  to  eat." 

Quoots-hooi  said,  "  I  have  nothing  to  eat.  You 
can  get  food  by  fishing/ ' 

So  South  Wind  dragged  the  net.  He  caught  tanas- 
eh-ko-le.  He  caught  a  little  whale.  South  Wind 
took  his  stone  knife  to  kill  the  whale. 

Then  the  giantess  said,  "  Use  a  sharp  shell.  Do 
not  use  your  knife.  Slit  tanas-eh-ko-le  down  the 
back.  Do  not  cut  him  crossways." 

South  Wind  pretended  not  to  hear.  South  Wind 
cut  the  whale  across  the  back.  Suddenly  the  fish 
changed  into  an  immense  bird.  The  bird's  wings 
darkened  the  sun.  The  flapping  of  its  wings  shook 
the  earth.  This  bird  was  the  Thunder  Bird.  He 
flew  to  the  north  and  lighted  on  Swal-al-a-host,  near 
the  mouth  of  Great  River. 

Then  South  Wind  and  the  giantess  travelled  north 

to  find  him.     One  day,  picking  berries,  Quoots-hooi 

89 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS 

found  the  nest  of  Thunder  Bird.  The  nest  was  full 
of  eggs. 

Quoots-hooi  broke  one  egg.  It  was  not  good,  so 
she  threw  it  down  the  mountain  side.  Before  it 
reached  the  valley  it  became  an  Indian.  Quoots- 
hooi  threw  down  other  eggs.  Each  egg  became  an 
Indian.  That  is  how  the  Chehalis  Indians  were 
created. 

Indians  never  cut  the  first  salmon  across  the  back. 
If  they  did,  the  salmon  would  not  run.  Always  In- 
dians slit  the  first  salmon  down  the  back. 


9o 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


MOUNT   EDGECOMB,   ALASKA 

WHEN  all  the  world  was  covered  with  ris- 
ing   waters,    Chethl,   Thunder,    left   his 
sister,  Abhishanakhou,  the  Underground 
Woman.     Chethl  said,  "  Sister,  you  shall  never  see 
me  again.     You  shall  only  hear  my  voice."     He  put 
on  the  skin  of  a  great  bird  and  flew  away.     His  eyes 
flashed  fire  and  the  earth  shook  when  he  flapped  his 
wings. 

Abhishanakhou,  the  Underground  Woman, 
climbed  to  the  top  of  Mount  Edgecomb.  The  top 
opened  and  she  fell  in,  leaving  a  great  hole.  The 
world  is  an  immense  plate,  resting  on  a  tall  pillar. 
The  Underground  Woman  holds  up  the  pillar  so 
the  plate  will  not  fall.  When  storms  break  on 
Mount  Edgecomb,  the  lightning  from  Chethl's  eyes 
gleams  through  her  crater  windows.  The  flapping 
of  his  wings  makes  the  plate  tremble,  and  she  hears 
the  thundering  of  his  voice.  But  she  never  sees 
Chethl. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 


AN    INDIAN'S   VOW   TO   THE   THUNDER 

GODS* 

"  f  •  ^O  an  Indian  woman  the  Thunder  had  spoken 
in  a  vision.  To  this  god  she  promised  to 
^^  give  her  first-born  child.  When  she  became 
a  mother,  she  forgot  in  her  joy  that  the  life  of  her 
little  child  did  not  belong  to  her ;  nor  did  she  recall 
her  fateful  vow  until  one  bright  spring  day  when  the 
clouds  gathered,  and  she  heard  the  roll  of  the  Thun- 
der,—  a  sound  which  summoned  all  persons  conse- 
crated to  these  gods  to  bring  their  offerings  and  to  pay 
their  vows.  She  remembered  what  she  had  promised, 
but  her  heart  forbade  her  to  lay  the  infant,  which  was 
smiling  in  her  arms,  upon  the  cloud-swept  hilltop. 
She  pressed  the  baby  to  her  breast  and  waited  in  silence 
the  passing  of  the  gods  in  the  storm.  The  following 
spring  when  the  first  thunder  pealed,  she  did  not  forget 
her  vow,  but  she  could  not  gather  strength  to  fulfil  it. 

*  As  related  by  Alice  C.  Fletcher.  Used  by  permission.  This  incident 
is  not  a  myth ;  it  is  actual  fact.  It  is  included  because  it  throws  light  upon 
the  softer  side  of  Indian  character,  and  because  it  shows  also  the  extent  to 
which  the  Indian  was  influenced  by  the  religious  beliefs  which  we  term 
myths. 

9* 


Photo  by  Lee  Moorhouse 

YAKIMA  CHIEF 
Scalp  locks  are  here  used  as  ornaments  attached  to  the  beaded  yoke 


Photo  by  Lee  Moorhouse 


PEG,   CAYUSE  WARRIOR 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

Another  year  passed  and  again  the  Thunder  sounded. 
Taking  the  toddling  child  by  the  hand,  the  mother 
climbed  the  hill,  and  when  the  top  was  reached  she 
placed  it  on  the  ground  and  fled.  But  the  boy 
scrambled  up  and  ran  after  her,  and  his  frightened 
cry  stayed  her  feet.  He  caught  her  garments  and 
clung  to  them,  and  although  the  Thunder  called,  she 
could  not  obey ;  her  vow  had  been  made  before  she 
knew  the  strength  of  a  mother's  love.  Gathering  the 
boy  within  her  arms,  she  hid  herself  and  him  from 
the  presence  of  the  gods.  The  storm  passed,  and  the 
mother  and  child  returned  to  the  lodge,  but  fear  had 
taken  possession  of  her ;  she  watched  her  son  with 
eyes  in  which  terror  and  love  struggled  for  the  mastery. 

"  One  day  as  the  little  one  played  beside  a  rippling 
brook,  laughing  and  singing  in  his  glee,  suddenly  the 
clouds  gathered,  the  flashing  lightning  sent  beast  and 
bird  to  cover,  and  drove  the  mother  out  to  find  her 
child.  She  heard  his  voice  above  the  fury  of  the  storm 
calling  to  her.  As  she  neared  the  brook,  a  vivid  flash 
blinded  her  eyes ;  for  a  moment  she  was  stunned,  but 
recovering,  she  pushed  on,  only  to  be  appalled  by  the 
sight  that  met  her  gaze.  Her  boy  lay  dead,  struck 
by  the  Thunder  gods  who  had  claimed  their  own. 

"  No  other  children  came  to  lighten  the  sorrow  of 
the  lonely  woman,  but  every  spring  when  the  first 

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MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

Thunder  sounded,  and  whenever  the  storm  swept  the 
land,  this  stricken  mother  climbed  the  hills,  and 
there,  standing  alone,  with  hands  uplifted  to  the  black 
rolling  clouds,  she  sang  her  song  of  sorrow  and  fealty. 
"  Many  years  ago  the  writer  met  her  and  heard  her 
song ;  she  was  an  old,  old  woman ;  she  is  now  at  rest 
and  let  us  hope  that  her  lifelong  sorrow  has  turned 
to  joy.  The  words  of  her  song  express  her  fidelity, 
and  the  music  betrays  her  love  and  sorrow : 

"  Flying,  flying,  sweeping,  swirling, 
They  return,  the  Thunder  gods. 
To  me  they  come,  to  me  their  own, 
Me  they  behold,  who  am  their  own ! 

On  wings  they  come,  — 
Flying,  flying,  sweeping,  swirling, 
They  return,  the  Thunder  gods." 


94 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


CHINOOK   GHOSTS 

Chinook 

THE  ghosts  wanted  to  buy  a  wife.      They 
bought  Blue  Jay's  sister,  loi.     They  came 
in  the  evening  and  on  the  next  morning  loi 
had  disappeared.     Now  Blue  Jay  was  a  wise  bird,  a 
foe  to  magic.     After  a  year  Blue  Jay  said,  "  I  am 
going  to  search  for  loi." 

Blue  Jay  asked  all  the  trees,  "Where  do  people 
go  when  they  die  ? "  They  did  not  answer.  Then 
Blue  Jay  asked  all  the  birds,  "Where  do  people  go 
when  they  die  ? "  They  did  not  answer. 

At  last  Blue  Jay  said  to  his  wedge,  "Where  do 
people  go  when  they  die  ? " 

Wedge  said,  "  Pay  me  and  I  will  tell  you." 

Blue  Jay  paid  him,  and  Wedge  took  him  on  a 
journey.  They  arrived  at  a  large  village.  The 
last  lodge  was  very  large.  Smoke  was  rising  only 
from  this  lodge.  There  Blue  Jay  found  loi. 

When  loi  saw  Blue  Jay,  she  said,  "  Where  did 
you  come  from?" 

Blue  Jay  said,  "  I  am  not  dead.  Wedge  brought 
me  here.  Are  you  dead  ? " 

95 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

Then  Blue  Jay  opened  all  the  lodges  and  he  saw 
that  they  were  full  of  bones.  He  saw  a  skull  and 
bones  close  to  loi.  He  said,  "  What  are  you  going 
to  do  with  that  skull?" 

loi  said,   "That    is   my   husband." 

When  it  grew  dark,  the  bones  became  alive.  Blue 
Jay  asked,  "  Where  did  all  these  people  come  from  ? " 

loi  said,  "  Do  you  think  they  are  people  ?  They 
are  ghosts." 

After  some  time,  loi  said  to  him,  "  Go  with  those 
people  fishing  with  a  dip  net." 

He  went  with  a  young  boy.  The  people  spoke 
always  in  very  low  tones  and  he  did  not  understand 
them.  loi  told  him  to  speak  in  low  tones.  When 
they  were  going  fishing  in  their  canoe,  another  canoe 
came  down  the  river.  The  people  in  it  were  sing- 
ing. Blue  Jay  began  to  sing,  too,  and  at  once  the 
boy  became  a  skeleton.  Blue  Jay  stopped  singing 
and  the  boy  became  a  ghost  again.  When  Blue 
Jay  spoke  in  loud  tones,  the  boy  always  became 
a  skeleton. 

The  ghosts  caught  leaves  and  branches  in  the  dip 
net.  These  branches  and  leaves  were  their  trout  and 
salmon.  Blue  Jay  shouted  often  and  all  the  ghosts 
became  skeletons. 

One  day  when  all  the  ghosts  were  bones,  Blue  Jay 

96 


OF   THE   PACIFIC    NORTHWEST 

changed  their  skulls.  He  put  children's  skulls  on  old 
people.  Therefore  the  ghosts  disliked  him.  They 
told  loi  to  send  him  back.  But  he  did  not  know 
in  what  to  go.  Their  canoes  were  full  of  holes  and 
covered  with  moss. 

So  loi  sent  Blue  Jay  home,  but  he  did  not  follow 
her  directions.  Therefore  he  died  and  became  a 
ghost.  He  returned  to  the  ghost  land  and  found  all 
the  bones  were  real  men.  The  leaves  and  branches 
were  real  salmon  and  trout,  and  all  their  canoes  were 
new. 


97 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 


THE   MEMALOOSE    ISLANDS 

Klickitat 

ENG  ago,  before  the  white  man  came,  a 
young  chief  and  a  maiden  loved  one  another. 
Suddenly  the  chief  went  over  the  spirit  trail. 
But  he  could  find  no  rest  in  the  land  of  the  spirits. 
The  maiden  also  grieved  for  him.  Then  a  vision 
came  to  the  maiden.  It  told  her  to  go  to  the  land 
of  the  spirits. 

The  maiden  told  her  father  of  the  vision  and 
they  both  obeyed.  The  father  made  ready  a  canoe, 
placed  her  in  it  and  they  paddled  up  Great  River  to 
the  spirit  island.  Through  the  darkness,  as  they 
neared  the  death  island,  they  heard  singing  and  the 
tom-tom  of  the  dance  drum.  Four  spirit  people 
met  them  on  the  shore.  The  maiden  landed  but  the 
father  returned.  At  the  great  dance  house  the 
maiden  met  her  lover,  more  beautiful  than  on  earth. 
All  night  long  they  danced.  Then  when  morning 
came  and  the  robins  chirped,  the  dancers  fell  asleep. 

The  maiden  slept,  but  not  soundly.  When  the  sun 
was  high,  she  awoke.  <  All  around  her  were  skeletons 

9* 


Photo  by  Richard  Throessel.     Copyrighted 


A  SCAFFOLD  GRAVE 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

and  skulls.  Her  lover,  with  grinning  teeth,  was  gaz- 
ing upon  her.  The  maiden  was  in  the  island  of  the 
dead.  Struck  with  horror,  she  ran  to  the  shore.  At 
last  she  found  an  old  boat  and  paddled  herself  across 
Great  River  to  the  Indian  village. 

But  her  father  was  frightened.  She  had  been  to 
the  spirit  land.  Therefore,  if  she  returned,  evil  would 
fall  upon  the  tribe.  That  night  again  the  father 
made  ready  a  canoe  and  paddled  across  the  river  to 
the  memaloose  island.  Through  the  darkness,  they 
heard  singing  and  the  tom-tom  of  the  dance  drum. 

In  course  of  time  a  baby,  half  human,  half  spirit, 
was  born.  The  spirit  lover  wished  his  mother  to 
see  it.  He  sent  a  messenger  to  her,  telling  her  to 
come  to  the  island  by  night.  He  told  her,  when  she 
arrived,  not  to  look  at  the  baby  until  it  was  ten  days 
old.  After  the  old  woman  reached  the  memaloose 
island,  she  became  impatient.  She  lifted  the  cloth 
from  the  baby's  face.  She  lifted  just  one  little  cor- 
ner and  looked  at  the  baby's  face.  Therefore  the 
baby  died.  Thus  the  spirit  people  became  displeased. 
They  said  that  never  again  should  living  people  visit 
the  land  of  those  who  had  gone  by  the  spirit  trail. 


99 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 


A  VISITING   GHOST 

Teton 

ONCE  a  young  brave  came  to  a  great  forest  just 
at  nightfall.  He  was  alone,  so  he  lay  down 
at  the  edge  of  the  woods.  At  midnight  he 
heard  a  woman  cry,  "  My  son  !  my  son  !  "  Then  he 
heard  the  breaking  of  twigs.  Thus  the  warrior  knew 
that  some  one  was  approaching.  The  warrior  put 
brush  on  his  fire,  then  he  peeped  through  a  hole  in 
his  blanket.  A  woman  was  approaching.  She  wore 
a  skin  dress  with  long  fringe.  She  wore  also  a 
blanket  drawn  over  her  head.  Her  leggings  were 
decorated  with  bead  work  and  porcupine  quills. 

The  woman  came  to  where  the  warrior  lay  with 
his  legs  stretched  out.  She  took  his  foot  and  raised 
it.  Then  she  dropped  it.  Twice  the  woman  did 
this.  Then  she  drew  a  rusty  knife. 

The  warrior  sprang  up. 

He  shouted,  "  What  are  you  doing  ? " 

Then   he  shot  at  her  suddenly. 


100 


OF   THE    PACIFIC    NORTHWEST 

The  woman  ran  away  screaming,  "  Yun !  yun ! 
yun!" 

When  daylight  came,  the  warrior  saw  he  had 
camped  near  a  scaffold  grave.  Therefore  he  said, 
"  This  is  the  ghost  which  came  to  me." 


101 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 


ORIGIN   OF   THE   TRIBES 

Chinook 

ENG  ago,  in  Lake  Cle-el-lum,  lived  Wish- 
poosh,  the  monster  beaver.  Cle-el-lum  was 
beautiful.  It  was  also  full  of  fish.  The 
animal  people  wanted  to  fish  there  but  Wishpoosh 
killed  them.  Wishpoosh  dragged  them  into  the 
water  and  drowned  them.  Wishpoosh  also  killed 
and  ate  the  animal  people. 

At  last  Coyote  tried  to  kill  him.  Coyote  fastened 
a  spear  to  his  wrist  with  a  strong  cord.  Then 
he  began  to  fish  in  the  lake.  Soon  Wishpoosh 
attacked  him.  Coyote  speared  the  beaver.  Then 
Wishpoosh  plunged  to  the  bottom  of  Cle-el-lum 
and  dragged  Coyote  with  him.  But  Coyote  fought 
hard  with  Wishpoosh. 

They  fought  so  hard,  they  tore  out  the  banks  of 
Cle-el-lum.  The  waters  rushed  through  the  break, 
then  through  the  mountains  and  down  the  canon. 
They  rushed  into  Kittitas  Valley.  The  water  formed 
another  lake  in  Kittitas  Valley. 

Coyote  and  Wishpoosh  fought  so  hard  they  tore 
out  the  banks  of  the  new  lake.  The  waters  rushed 

102 


Photo  by  Lee  Moorhoitse.    Copyrighted 


INDIAN  TYPE.    CHIEF  JOSEPH  OF  THE  NEZ  PERCES 
This  tribe,  except  during  the  Nez   Perce  war,  was  always  friendly  to  the  whites 


Photo  by  Lee  Moorhoust.    Copyrighted 


INDIAN  TYPE.     FISH-HAWK,  PRESENT  CHIEF  OF  THE  CAYUSES 
The  Cayuse  Indians  were  responsible  for  the  Whitman  massacre 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

down  into  the  basin  of  the  Cowiche,  Nachess,  and 
Atahnum.  The  water  formed  a  larger  lake.  Ya- 
kima  was  flooded  and  a  very  great  lake  formed  at 
Toppenish. 

Coyote  and  Wishpoosh  fought  so  hard  that  they 
tore  out  the  banks  of  this  very  great  lake.  The 
waters  rushed  to  the  meeting-place  of  the  Yakima, 
the  Snake,  and  the  Columbia  Rivers.  The  waters 
here  formed  a  very,  very  great  lake. 

Coyote  and  Wishpoosh  fought  so  hard  that  even 
the  banks  of  this  lake  were  torn  out.  Then  Wish- 
poosh dashed  down  the  Great  River.  Coyote  was 
out  of  breath.  Coyote  wanted  to  stop  Wishpoosh. 
He  caught  at  the  trees  and  stones  along  the  banks  of 
Great  River.  Nothing  could  stop  Wishpoosh.  At 
last  Coyote  and  the  beaver  reached  the  breakers  at 
the  mouth  of  Great  River,  reached  the  breakers  of 
the  Bitter  Waters. 

Wishpoosh  was  very  angry.  He  killed  salmon 
and  swallowed  them.  He  killed  whales  and  swal- 
lowed them.  Coyote  saw  that  Wishpoosh  was  very 
strong.  Then  he  remembered  that  he  was  Coyote, 
the  wisest  and  cunningest  of  all  the  animals.  So 
Coyote  changed  himself  into  a  branch,  a  tree  branch. 
He  drifted  toward  Wishpoosh.  Wishpoosh  swal- 
lowed him.  Then  Coyote  changed  himself  back 

I03 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

into  Coyote  again.  He  took  his  stone  knife.  He 
cut  the  sinews  inside  of  Wishpoosh.  Thus  Wish- 
poosh  died. 

Now  Coyote  was  very  tired.  Therefore  he  asked 
Muskrat  to  help  him.  Together  Coyote  and  Musk- 
rat  pulled  the  great  beaver  to  land.  Then  they  cut 
up  Wishpoosh.  They  threw  the  pieces  over  the  land. 

From  the  head  of  Wishpoosh,  Coyote  made  the 
Nez  Perces,  great  in  council.  From  the  arms  he 
made  the  Cayuses,  powerful  with  the  bow  and  war- 
club.  From  the  legs  he  made  the  Klickitats,  famous 
runners.  From  the  ribs  he  made  the  Yakimas. 
From  the  belly  he  made  the  Chinooks,  short,  fat 
people,  with  big  stomachs.  Coyote  at  last  had  only 
the  hair  and  blood  of  Wishpoosh.  These  he  flung 
far  up  the  valley  to  the  east.  They  became  the  Snake 
River  Indians,  a  tribe  of  war  and  blood. 

Thus  Coyote  created  the  tribes.  Then  he  re- 
turned up  the  Columbia. 

Now  in  making  the  Chinooks  and  the  coast  tribes, 
Coyote  forgot  to  give  them  any  mouth.  The  god 
Ecahni,  travelling  along,  noticed  this.  Then  Ecahni 
called  the  tribes  to  him  and  with  a  stone  knife  gave 
each  one  a  mouth.  But  for  fun  Ecahni  cut  them 
crooked.  He  made  some  mouths  very  big.  Thus 

the  coast  tribes  have  not  perfect  mouths. 

104 


Photo  by  Lee  Moorhouse.    Copyrighted 

INDIAN  TYPE.     WHIRLWIND,   MEDICINE  MAN  OF  THE  CAYUSES 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


HOW   THE   OKANOGANS    BECAME   RED 

Okanogan 

ENG,  long  ago  when  the  sun  was  young  and 
no  bigger  than  a  star,  there  was  an  island 
far  out  at  sea  called  Samahtumiwhoolah,  or 
White  Man's  Island.  Now  giants  lived  there.  The 
giants  were  white  and  their  leader  was  a  tall  white 
woman,  called  Scomalt.  At  first  there  was  peace,  but 
at  last  war  came  and  the  white  giants  fought  with 
each  other.  This  made  Scomalt  angry.  Scomalt  had 
a  strong  heart.  She  drove  the  unruly  ones  together 
to  the  farthest  end  of  the  island.  Then  she  broke  off 
this  piece  of  land  and  with  her  foot  pushed  it  out  to 
sea. 

Many  days  drifted  the  floating  island.  Storms 
swept  over  them  and  the  sun  beat  down  upon  them. 
At  last  all  died  except  one  man  and  one  woman. 
Then -the  man  caught  a  whale  and  they  saved  their 
lives  by  eating  the  blubber.  Then  their  island  began 
to  sink,  so  they  made  a  canoe.  They  put  the  blubber 
into  the  canoe  and  then  paddled  away. 

After  paddling  for  many  suns,  they  came  to  some 

105 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

islands,  and  at  last  to  the  mainland.  Here  they 
landed,  but  the  mainland  was  not  so  large  as  it  is 
now  because  it  had  not  grown.  But  all  their  white- 
ness was  gone.  The  sun  had  burned  them  until  they 
were  red.  All  the  Okanogans  are  descended  from  this 
man  and  woman,  and  therefore  they  are  red. 

In  time  to  come,  the  lakes  will  melt  the  founda- 
tions of  the  world  and  the  rivers  cut  it  loose.  Then 
the  whole  world  will  float  as  the  island  did.  This  is 
the  end  of  the  world,  the  Itsowleigh. 


1 06 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


THE    COPPER    CANOE 

Nootka 

ENG  ago,  from  the  waters  of  Whulge,  a  man 
came  to  the  Nootkas.     He  came  in  a  copper 
canoe,  which  shone  bright  as  the  sun.     His 
paddles  were  also  copper.     Men  said  he  came  from 
the  sky.     He  came  to  teach  them  they  should  not 
fight.     At  first  the  Nootkas  listened,  then  they  be- 
came angry.     They  killed  the  canoe  man. 

Indians  were  sorry  after  they  killed  the  canoe  man. 
Therefore  they  carve  images  of  him  for  their  houses, 
even  to  this  day. 


107 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 


ORIGIN   OF    MINERAL   SPRINGS 


E^G,  long  ago,  in  the  days  of  the  first  grand- 
father, all  men  were  at  peace.  The  earth 
was  so  new  that  tall  firs  of  the  mountain  were 
no  larger  than  arrows.  Many  fish  swam  in  Beauti- 
ful Waters  and  in  Great  River.  Many  deer  were  on 
the  mountains;  many  ipo  and  camas  roots  in  the 
valley.  All  Indians  were  happy. 

Then  the  first  twins  were  born.  One  became 
famous  for  the  deer  he  shot  and  the  fish  he  speared. 
The  other  was  always  hungry.  One  day  the  brothers 
were  hunting  together.  One  leaned  over  the  spring 
to  drink.  His  brother  struck  him  on  the  head  with 
his  stone  tomahawk  and  pushed  him  into  the  spring. 
At  once  the  water  bubbled  and  boiled.  From  a 
cloud  of  vapor  arose  an  old  Indian.  He  was  the 
first  of  all  Indians.  He  said,  "  You  have  sharpened 
the  tomahawk  against  your  brother.  Go.  Wander. 
Wherever  you  drink,  the  waters  shall  be  bitter." 

The  brother  wandered  over  the  mountains  and 
plains.  Wherever  he  drank  the  waters  became  bitter. 
For  that  reason  Indians  did  not  allow  twins  to  live. 

One  is  always  unlucky  and  the  other  happy. 

1  08 


Copyrighted  by  Lee  Moorhous 


AN  INDIAN  MOTHER  AND  PAPPOOSE 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


HOW   THE    ERMINE   GOT   ITS    NECK- 
LACE 

Athabascan 

IN  the  valley  between  Koyukuk  and  Yukon  lived 
an  old  man,  his  wife,  and  two  sons.     The  old 
man  was  too  feeble  to  go  out  alone  any  longer, 
so  he  told  the  boys  they  must  travel  alone.     There- 
fore they  decided  to  go  alone. 

In  the  morning  they  found  a  porcupine  trail. 
Following  this  downstream,  they  came  to  a  large 
river  running  full  of  ice.  At  the  edge  of  the  water 
the  track  disappeared.  The  brothers  leaped  on  a 
cake  of  ice  and  floated  downstream.  Again  they 
landed  and  looked  for  food,  when  they  found  a  fish 
had  been  left  on  the  ice,  and  saw  many  sled  tracks. 
They  followed  these.  They  then  heard  a  faint  cry- 
ing. Going  on  cautiously,  they  saw  a  porcupine 
carrying  a  load.  They  asked  it  why  it  cried.  When 
it  did  not  answer,  they  clubbed  it  dead,  cooked  it, 
and  ate  it. 

Going  on,  they  saw  a  village.     An  old  woman 

came  out,  saw  them,  and  called  to  the  people  of  the 

109 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

village  to  prepare  food  for  them.  The  brothers  en- 
tered a  large  house,  where  an  old  man  was  seated  on 
a  caribou  skin.  They  sat  down  on  either  side  of  him 
on  caribou  skins  and  began  to  eat.  Seeing  only  young 
women,  besides  the  old  man  and  woman,  the  brothers 
asked  where  the  young  men  were.  The  young 
women  said  there  were  none,  but  that  they  could 
do  many  difficult  things  which  even  men  could 
hardly  do.  The  elder  brother  boasted  that  he 
could  do  more  than  they.  But  the  young  women 
laughed.  They  said  they  were  simply  answering  his 
question. 

In  the  morning  the  young  women  went  hunting. 
The  brothers  went  with  them.  Then  the  women 
outran  the  elder  brother  and  teased  him.  He  be- 
came angry  and  said : 

"  You  cannot  do  one  thing.  Stand  at  a  distance 
and  shoot  at  me.  If  I  am  not  hit,  I  will  shoot  at 
you." 

The  younger  man  warned  his  brother;  but  the 
elder  one  was  still  angry  and  insisted.  Finally  the 
women  consented  to  shoot  at  him.  As  they  shot 
he  leaped,  but  four  arrows  struck  him  together  and 
he  fell  dead.  The  younger  brother  mourned  for  him. 

When  he  wished  to  return  and  asked  the  way,  he 
was  told  it  was  dangerous  and  they  described  to  him 


no 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

the    monsters    he    would    meet.      Nevertheless    he 
started. 

After  travelling  for  some  time,  he  saw  a  cliff  with 
a  nest  of  enormous  birds.  The  old  ones  were  away, 
but  he  found  a  young  eaglet. 

"  What  do  your  parents  do  when  they  come  ? "  he 
asked. 

"  When  they  come,"  the  eaglet  answered,  "  it 
becomes  dark,  it  blows,  and  there  is  thunder.  When 
it  is  my  mother  coming,  it  rains.  When  it  is  my 
father  who  comes,  it  hails." 

The  young  man  killed  the  bird.  Then  he  waited. 
Soon  it  became  dark,  and  thundered,  and  rained, 
while  the  air  was  blown  against  him  by  the  beating 
of  the  wings  of  the  Thunder  bird.  The  young  man 
shot  it,  and  springing  forward,  killed  it  with  his 
moose-horn  club.  When  the  other  bird  came,  he 
killed  it  too. 

He  went  on  until  he  came  to  a  porcupine  as  high 
as  a  hill,  which  lived  in  a  cave.  Through  this  cave 
the  young  man  had  to  pass  for  he  could  find  no  way 
around  it.  Hiding  outside  the  cave,  he  made  a  noise 
to  attract  the  porcupine's  attention.  It  at  once 
started  to  back  out,  lashing  its  tail  against  the  moun- 
tain side  until  the  enormous  quills  were  stuck  all 
over  the  mountain  and  the  tail  itself  was  quite  bare. 


in 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

Then  as  it  left  the  cave,  the  young  man  shot  it 
and  clubbed  it  to  death. 

Travelling  on  farther,  he  found  the  tracks  of  an 
enormous  lynx.  This  the  women  had  told  him  was 
the  strongest  of  the  monsters.  Here,  too,  he  tried 
to  go  around  it  but  could  not.  Then  he  tried  to 
shoot  it,  but  the  lynx  caught  the  arrows  in  his  claws. 
Seeing  no  way  of  escape,  the  young  man  gave  up  hope. 
Then  the  lynx  ordered  him  to  clear  away  the  snow 
so  that  he  could  eat  him  more  at  ease,  and  to  heap 
up  the  wood  for  the  fire  by  which  the  young  man 
was  to  be  cooked.  The  young  man  did  this,  but  the 
lynx  told  him  to  get  still  more  firewood.  The  young 
man  did  this,  going  farther  each  time  to  get  the 
wood.  Soon  he  heard  some  one  say : 

"  Brother,  stand  quickly  on  my  back  and  I  will 
carry  you  away." 

"Where  are  you?"  he  asked. 

"  Here/' 

Looking  down,  he  saw  an  ermine  at  his  feet. 
He  said,  "I  am  afraid  I  will  kill  you  if  I  step  on 
your  back." 

"  No,  jump  on  me.      I  will  carry  you." 

Then  he  jumped  hard,  but  the  ermine  did  not 
even  move. 

"  Your  back  is  too  small.     I  cannot  sit  on  it." 

112 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

"  Lay  a  stick  across  my  back,  and  put  another 
across  my  neck  for  your  feet." 

He  laid  the  sticks  across  the  ermine  and  sat  down. 
Immediately  it  carried  him  to  his  house.  The  young 
man's  parents  were  glad  for  his  safe  return.  They 
gave  the  ermine  a  shell  necklace. 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 


COYOTE   AND    GRIZZLY 

Nez  Perc'e 

ONCE  there  was  a  grizzly  bear  who  was 
always  angry.  One  day  when  travelling 
through  the  woods  she  came  upon  a  band 
of  Indians.  She  ate  them  all.  In  the  evening,  when 
she  had  reached  home,  she  had  a  bad  headache  and 
in  the  night  she  became  very  sick  because  she  had 
eaten  so  many  Indians.  She  was  sick  for  a  week  and 
almost  died.  She  sent  for  Coyote  to  come  as  a  medi- 
cine man.  But  Coyote  said  to  his  friends,  "  I  do  not 
care  if  she  dies.  It  would  not  hurt  me  or  anybody 
else.  Everybody  would  be  glad  of  it."  But  as  his 
wife  told  him  to  go  in  company  with  others,  he 
finally  went  to  see  Old  Grizzly. 

After  a  while  he  came  to  Old  Grizzly's  house  and 
made  medicine.  Then  she  got  well.  He  told  her 
she  was  sick  from  eating  too  many  choke  cherries, 
because  he  thought  all  the  people  would  run  away  if 
he  told  the  truth  and  said  it  was  from  eating  too 
many  Indians.  But  when  the  people  were  gone  and 
he  himself  was  ready  to  run  he  told  her  she  had 
eaten  too  many  Indians. 

Old  Grizzly  jumped  up  and  chased  Coyote.     He 

n4 


Copyright,  1906.  by  J.  A.  McCormick 

"OUT    OF    THE    SMALL    END    OF    THE    STICK    HE    MADE    FISHES  " 

(Page  3 4} 


Photo  by  Lee  Afoot-house 

CAYUSE  WARRIOR  WITH  TOMAHAWK  AND  TOM-TOM 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

ran  up  the  hills ;  he  ran  down  the  valleys ;  he  ran 
through  the  woods.  At  last  he  changed  himself  into 
a  buffalo  eating  grass  by  the  trail.  Now  Grizzly 
Bear  thought  she  would  catch  Coyote,  no  matter 
into  what  form  he  changed  himself.  So  when  she 
saw  the  buffalo,  she  started  to  kill  it,  but  then  she 
saw  Coyote's  trail  running  past  it.  So  she  followed 
the  trail.  When  she  had  gone  some  ways,  Coyote 
changed  himself  into  his  own  form  again.  He  called 
after  Grizzly  Bear  and  said,  "  You  are  only  a  foolish 
old  bear.  You  can  never  catch  me." 

When  Grizzly  Bear  heard  Coyote's  voice,  she 
started  after  him  again. 

After  a  while  Coyote  changed  himself  into  an  old 
man  who  had  smallpox.  He  was  in  a  tepee  by  the 
trail.  His  clothes  were  old  and  worn.  When  Griz- 
zly Bear  came  up,  she  looked  into  the  house.  She 
asked  the  man  if  any  one  had  passed.  He  told  her  a 
man  had  crossed  the  river.  She  saw  a  bridge  with 
tracks  on  it.  The  bridge  was  made  of  willows. 
Now  she  thought  she  could  get  across  on  that  bridge, 
so  she  walked  on  it.  The  bridge  broke,  she  fell  into 
the  water,  and  was  drowned. 

Then  Coyote  turned  himself  into  his  own  form  and 
went  back  to  his  people.  He  told  them  he  had 
killed  Grizzly  Bear. 

"5 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 


COYOTE    AND    THE    DRAGON 

ESfG    ago,    in    the    Willamette    Valley,    there 
lived  a   monster  who  made  all  the  people 
afraid.     It  lived  in  a  cave.     At  night  it  would 
come  from  its  cave,  seize  and  eat  people,  and  return 
to  the  cave  in  the  morning.     All  night  it  would  eat 
the  people.     Coyote  heard  of  this  monster  and  de- 
cided to  help  the  people.     Coyote  was  the  cunning- 
est  and  shrewdest  of  all  the  animals. 

Now  the  monster  could  not  endure  daylight.  It 
lived  always  in  the  dark.  So  one  day  when  the  sun 
was  very  bright  and  high  up  in  the  heavens,  Coyote 
took  his  bow  and  arrows  and  went  to  a  mountain 
top.  He  shot  one  of  the  arrows  into  the  sun.  Then 
he  shot  another  into  the  lower  end  of  the  first  one, 
and  then  another  into  the  lower  end  of  the  second. 
At  last  Coyote  had  a  chain  of  arrows  that  reached 
from  the  sun  to  the  earth.  Then  he  pulled  the  sun 
down.  He  pulled  hard  until  it  came  down.  Then 
he  hid  it  in  the  Willamette  River. 

Now    the    monster    thought    night    had    come. 

Everything  was  dark  because  the  sun  was  hid  in  the 

116 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

river.  So  the  monster  came  out  from  his  cave  and 
attacked  the  people.  Then  Coyote  broke  the  chain 
which  held  the  sun  down,  and  it  sprang  up  in  the 
sky  again.  The  monster  was  blinded  because  the 
light  was  so  bright.  Then  Coyote  killed  it. 

When  the  pale-faces  found  the  big  bones  of  the 
monster  and  carried  them  away,  Indians  said  evil 
would  come  of  it. 


117 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 


ORIGIN    OF    SPOKANE   FALLS 

Flathead 

COYOTE  and   Fox  were  travelling  together. 
They   were   coming   up   the  river.     When 
they  got  to  where  Spokane  Falls  now  are, 
Coyote  said  to  Fox  :  "  I  believe  I  '11  get  married.   I  '11 
take  a  woman  of  the  Pend  d'Oreilles  for  my  wife." 

So  Coyote  went  to  visit  the  chief  of  the  Pend 
d'Oreilles.  He  said  he  wanted  a  wife. 

Chief  said,  «  No."  Chief  said  that  Pend  d'Oreille 
women  could  not  intermarry  with  other  tribes. 

Coyote  said,  "  Then  I  will  make  a  falls  here  in 
the  river.  I  will  make  falls  so  that  the  salmon 
cannot  get  past  them."  That  is  how  Spokane  Falls 
were  made. 


118 


Photo  by  Lee  iMoorhouse 

UMATILLA  WARRIOR  WITH  CEREMONIAL  PIPE  AND  TOMAHAWK 


OF  THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


COYOTE    IN  THE   BUFFALO    COUNTRY 

Flathead 

COYOTE   took  to  the   trail  again.     After  a 
while  he  had  nothing  to  eat.      He  was  nearly 
starved.     He  went  into  a  tepee  at  noon  and 
lay  down  to  rest.     He  was  very  weak  because  he  had 
had  nothing  to  eat.     This  happened  in  the  Jocko 
Valley. 

Coyote  heard  some  one  halloo,  but  he  could  not 
see  any  one.  Then  some  one  called  again.  After 
he  had  looked  carefully  for  some  time,  Coyote  saw 
Eagle  a  long  ways  off. 

Eagle  said  that  far  away  there  was  a  country  where 
there  were  buffalo  all  the  time.  Eagle  said,  "  I  am 
going  there,  but  you  cannot.  You  are  too  poor/' 

Then  Coyote  was  angry.  Coyote  said,  "  I  can  go 
anywhere.  I  am  going  there."  Coyote  started  out 
and  in  fifteen  days  he  reached  the  place.  It  was  near 
Great  Falls.  There  was  a  big  camp  there  and  the 
chief's  name  was  Bear.  The  people  did  not  like 

Bear.     When  buffalo  were  killed,  Bear  would  take 

119 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

the  best  pieces  for  himself —  all  the  good  meat  and 
the  chunks  of  fat. 

Coyote  wanted  to  be  chief  himself.  So  he  killed  a 
big  buffalo  and  stripped  off  all  the  fat.  Then  he  cut 
the  meat  in  strips  and  hung  it  up  to  dry.  After  that 
he  built  a  big  fire  and  heated  some  stones  red  hot. 

Bear  heard  that  Coyote  had  killed  a  buffalo,  so  he 
came  to  look  at  the  meat.  Bear  said,  "  This  is  nice 
meat.  I  will  take  it." 

Coyote  said,  "  I  saved  some  fat  for  you." 

Then  Coyote  took  a  red  hot  stone,  wrapped  it 
in  fat,  and  put  it  in  Bear's  mouth.  Thus  Coyote 
killed  Bear.  Then  the  people  made  Coyote  chief. 

Now  Bear  was  a  great  medicine  man.  Whatever 
he  wished  came  true.  There  were  many  buffalo  at 
Great  Falls  because  Bear  had  wished  it.  After  Co- 
yote became  chief  all  the  buffalo  went  away.  Then 
the  people  said,  "  Coyote  is  a  bad  chief." 

Coyote  went  out  again  to  hunt  for  buffalo.  He 
was  all  alone  and  he  hunted  for  five  days.  But  the 
buffalo  were  all  gone.  Coyote  was  ashamed  to  go 
back  to  the  camp  so  he  kept  right  on. 

In  a  little  while  Coyote  met  Wolf.  Wolf  said, 
"  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

Coyote  said,  "  I  am  going  to  travel  all  over  the 
world." 

120 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

Wolf  went  on  ahead.  Soon  Coyote  heard  some 
one  coming.  It  was  a  man  with  plenty  of  meat. 
Coyote  lay  down  by  the  trail  and  pretended  to  be 
dead.  The  man  stopped.  He  said,  "  This  is  pretty 
good  fur."  So  he  threw  Coyote  among  the  meat 
and  went  on. 

Coyote  ate  all  the  meat  he  could  hold.  Then  he 
ran  away.  After  a  while  he  met  Wolf  again.  Wolf 
said,  "You  look  fat.  Where  did  you  get  meat?" 

Coyote  told  him  he  had  pretended  to  be  dead.  He 
said,  "  The  man  wanted  me  for  my  fur.  Your  fur 
is  finer  than  mine.  If  you  pretend  to  be  dead,  you 
can  get  meat." 

Wolf  heard  the  man  coming  so  he  lay  down  by 
the  trail  and  pretended  to  be  dead.  The  man 
stopped.  He  said,  "  This  is  pretty  good  fur,  but  I  '11 
make  sure  he  is  dead."  Then  he  hit  Wolf  with  a 
club.  He  hit  Wolf  twice. 

Then  Wolf  jumped  up  and  ran  away.  Wolf  was 
very  angry.  He  said,  "  Coyote  did  this  on  purpose. 
I  will  kill  Coyote." 

Wolf  ran  and  Coyote  ran.  After  a  while  Wolf 
overtook  Coyote.  Wolf  said,  "Why  did  you  play 
that  trick  on  me.  Now  I  will  kill  you." 

Coyote  said,  "Wait  until  I  tell  you  something. 
Then  you  can  kill  me." 


121 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

Wolf  said,  "  What  do  you  want  to  tell  me  ? " 

Coyote  said,  "  There  are  only  two  of  us.  It  is  not 
fair  for  us  to  fight  alone.  Let  us  get  others  to  fight 
with  us.  Then  it  will  be  like  one  tribe  fighting 
another." 

Wolf  agreed.  So  Wolf  went  in  one  direction  and 
Coyote  in  another.  Wolf  met  Bear.  Wolf  said, 
"  Come  with  me  and  fight  Coyote."  Then  Bear 
and  Wolf  went  on  together. 

In  a  little  while  they  met  Mole.  Wolf  said, 
"  Come  with  me  and  fight  Coyote."  So  Wolf  and 
Bear  and  Mole  went  on  together. 

Now  Coyote  had  gone  in  another  direction.  He 
met  Cat  and  Dog.  Coyote  said,  "  Come  with  me 
and  fight  Wolf."  So  Coyote  and  Cat  and  Dog  went 
on  together. 

Now  Wolf  reached  the  meeting-place  first.  He 
looked  up  and  said,  "  I  see  Coyote  coming."  Coyote 
was  coming  with  Cat  and  Dog.  Coyote  was  dressed 
up,  with  beaded  moccasins  and  a  beaded  shirt.  There- 
fore he  was  a  great  chief.  When  the  fight  began, 
Coyote  with  Cat  and  Dog  killed  all  his  enemies. 
Then  Coyote  went  on  alone. 


122 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


COYOTE  AND   THE   SALMON 

Klamath  River 

THEN  Coyote  went  to  Klamath  River.  He 
found  the  people  very  poor.  They  had  no 
food.  The  river  was  full  of  salmon  but 
the  people  could  not  get  any.  Three  Skookums  had 
built  a  dam  to  prevent  the  salmon  from  coming  up 
the  river.  So  the  Skookums  had  all  the  fish,  but  the 
people  had  none.  Coyote  was  very  angry.  Coyote 
said,  "  Before  many  suns,  fish  shall  come  up  the  river. 
The  people  shall  have  all  the  salmon  they  need." 

Then  Coyote  went  to  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
The  Skookums  saw  him.  They  thought  he  was  only 
a  skulking  coyote.  Coyote  whined  for  some  of  their 
fish.  Skookum  would  not  give  him  any.  Coyote 
came  close  to  their  camp.  The  Skookums  drove  him 
away.  But  Coyote  saw  where  the  Skookums  kept 
the  key  of  the  dam.  That  was  what  he  had  wanted 
when  he  whined  for  fish. 

Next  morning,  one  Skookum  started  down  to  open 
the  trap  and  let  in  a  fish  for  herself.  Coyote  ran  out 
of  the  tepee,  jumped  between  Skookum's  feet  and 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS 

tripped  her  up.  Skookum  fell  and  the  key  fell  out 
of  her  hand.  Then  Coyote  picked  up  the  key,  and 
went  to  the  darn.  Coyote  opened  the  dam  and  let 
the  fish  through.  The  salmon  went  upstream  into 
the  country  of  the  Cahrocs.  Then  the  people  had 
food  to  eat. 

Afterwards  Coyote  broke  down  the  dam.     Ever 
since  then  salmon  go  every  year  up  that  river. 


124 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


FALLS    OF   THE   WILLAMETTE 

TALLAPUS    came   from    the    coast    to    the 
Willamette    Valley.      Tallapus    had    been 
teaching  the  coast  Indians.     He  found  the 
Willamettes  very  poor  and  cold. 

Now  the  Willamette  was  full  of  salmon,  but  the 
tribes  were  very  stupid  and  feeble.  They  could  not 
catch  the  salmon.  So  Tallapus  made  a  turn-turn.* 
There  the  fish  would  come  to  the  surface.  Tallapus 
also  made  a  trap.  Tallapus  began  to  make  a  tum-tum 
at  Hanteuc.  He  did  not  like  the  place  and  left  it. 
The  gravel  bar  shows  where  he  began  to  work. 
Then  Tallapus  went  to  Rock  Island  to  make  a 
tum-tum.  Again  he  did  not  like  the  place  and  left  it. 
The  rapids  show  where  he  began  to  work.  Then 
Tallapus  began  to  make  still  another  tum-tum.  Here 
he  liked  the  place  and  finished  his  work.  White 
men  call  it  the  Falls  of  the  Willamette.  Here  the 
salmon  come  to  the  surface  in  trying  to  leap  over  the 
falls.  Then  the  stupid  tribes  could  spear  the  salmon. 

*  "Turn"  means  "heart."  Falls  were  named  "turn-turns"  because 
the  sound  of  falling  waters  resembled,  to  the  Indian,  the  beating  of  the  heart. 

1*5 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

At  this  turn-turn,  Tallapus  began  to  make  a  trap. 
Tallapus  made  one  that  would  say  "Noseepsk"  when 
it  was  full.  So  Tallapus  set  the  trap  by  the  falls  and 
began  to  make  a  fire.  He  began  to  rub  the  fire 
sticks  together. 

Then  Trap  called,  "Noseepsk." 

It  was  full  of  fine  fish.  Tallapus  emptied  it.  He 
set  the  trap  again  by  the  falls  and  began  to  make  a 
fire.  He  began  again  to  rub  the  fire  sticks  together. 

Then  again  Trap  called,  "  Noseepsk  !    Noseepsk." 

Tallapus  emptied  it.  Then  he  set  the  trap 
again  by  the  falls  and  began  to  make  a  fire.  Before 
he  could  rub  the  fire  sticks  together,  Trap  called, 
"  Noseepsk  !  Noseepsk  !  " 

Then  Tallapus  was  angry.  He  was  very  hungry 
and  Trap  would  not  let  him  make  a  fire.  Tallapus 
said  Trap  should  not  call  so  soon. 

Tallapus  said,  "  Can  you  not  wait  catching  fish 
until  I  build  my  fire?" 

Then  Trap  was  angry.  Trap  would  not  catch 
fish  any  more.  Then  the  people  had  to  spear 
the  fish. 


126 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


TALLAPUS   AND   THE    CEDAR 

Clatsop 

ONCE    Tallapus    was    travelling    from    the 
country    of  the   Tillimooks    to   the    coun- 
try of  the   Clatsops.     Tallapus  made  him- 
self a  coyote. 

Tallapus  passed  the  mountains  and  headlands  of 
the  coast.  Then  he  followed  the  trail  through  the 
deep  woods.  As  he  was  travelling  along,  Tallapus 
saw  an  immense  cedar.  The  inside  was  hollow. 
He  could  see  it  through  a  big  gap  which  opened  and 
closed.  The  gap  opened  and  closed  as  the  tree 
swayed  in  the  wind.  Tallapus  cried,  "  Open,  Cedar 
Tree!"  Then' the  tree  opened.  Tallapus  jumped 
inside.  He  said,  "  Shut,  Cedar  Tree !  "  Then  the 
tree  closed.  Tallapus  was  shut  inside  the  tree. 
After  a  while  Tallapus  said,  "  Open,  Cedar  Tree  !  " 
Then  the  tree  opened.  Tallapus  stepped  out  of  it. 
The  tree  was  a  very  strange  one.  So  Tallapus 
told  the  tree  to  open,  and  jumped  inside.  Then  he 
told  it  to  close.  Tallapus  did  this  many  times. 

At  last  Tallapus  was  inside  the  tree.     Tallapus  said, 

127 


Nife^ 

MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

"Open,  Cedar  Tree!"  The  tree  did  not  answer. 
Tallapus  was  angry.  He  called  to  the  tree.  He 
kicked  the  tree.  The  tree  did  not  answer.  Then 
Tallapus  remembered  that  he  was  Coyote,  the  wisest 
and  cunningest  of  all  animals.  Then  Tallapus  began 
to  think. 

After  he  thought,  Tallapus  called  the  birds  to  help 
him.  He  told  them  to  peck  a  hole  through  Cedar 
Tree.  The  first  was  Wren.  Wren  pecked  and 
pecked  at  the  great  cedar  until  her  bill  was  blunted. 
But  Wren  could  not  even  make  a  dent.  Therefore 
Tallapus  called  her  Wren.  Then  Tallapus  called  the 
other  birds.  Sparrow  came,  Robin  came,  Finch 
came,  but  they  could  not  even  break  the  heavy  bark. 
So  Tallapus  gave  each  a  name  and  sent  them  away. 
Then  Owl  came,  and  Raven,  and  Hawk,  and  Eagle. 
They  could  not  make  even  a  little  hole.  So  Tallapus 
gave  each  a  name  and  sent  them  away.  Then  he 
called  Little  Woodpecker.  Finally  Little  Wood- 
pecker made  a  tiny  hole.  Then  big  Yellow  Ham- 
mer came  and  pecked  a  large  hole.  But  the  hole 
was  too  small  for  Tallapus.  So  he  saw  there  was 
no  help  from  the  birds. 

Then  Tallapus  remembered  again  that  he  was 
Coyote,  the  wisest  and  cunningest  of  all  the  animals. 

Then  Tallapus  began  to  think. 

128 


OF   THE    PACIFIC  NORTHWEST 

After  he  thought,  Tallapus  began  to  take  himself 
apart.  He  took  himself  apart  and  slipped  each  piece 
through  Yellow  Hammer's  hole.  First  he  slipped  a 
leg  through,  then  a  paw,  then  his  tail,  then  his  ears, 
and  his  eyes,  until  he  was  through  the  hole,  and  out- 
side the  cedar  tree.  Then  Tallapus  began  to  put 
himself  together.  He  put  his  legs  and  paws  to- 
gether, then  his  tail,  his  nose,  his  ears,  then  his 
body.  At  last  Tallapus  put  himself  together  again 
except  his  eyes.  He  could  not  find  his  eyes. 
Raven  had  seen  them  on  the  ground.  Raven  had 
stolen  them.  So  Tallapus,  the  Coyote,  the  wisest 
and  cunningest  of  all  animals  was  blind. 

But  Tallapus  did  not  want  the  animals  to  know 
he  was  blind.  Tallapus  smelled  a  wild  rose.  He 
found  the  bush  and  picked  two  rose  leaves.  He 
put  the  rose  leaves  in  place  of  his  eyes.  Then 
Tallapus  travelled  on,  feeling  his  way  along  the 
trail. 

Soon  he  met  a  squaw.  Squaw  began  to  jeer: 
"  Oh,  ho,  you  seem  to  be  very  blind/' 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Tallapus,  "  I  am  measuring  the 
ground.  I  can  see  better  than  you  can.  I  can  see 
tomanowos  rays."  Squaw  was  greatly  astonished. 
Tallapus  pretended  to  see  wonderful  things  at  a 

great   distance. 

9  129 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

Squaw  said,  "  I  wish  I  could  see  tomanowos  rays." 

Tallapus  said,  "  Change  eyes  with  me.  Then  you 
can  see  tomanowos  rays." 

So  Tallapus  and  Squaw  traded  eyes.  Tallapus  took 
Squaw's  eyes  and  gave  her  the  rose  leaves.  Then 
Tallapus  could  see  as  well  as  ever.  Squaw  could  see 
nothing. 

Tallapus  said,  "For  your  folly  you  must  always 
be  a  snail.  You  must  creep.  You  must  feel  your 
way  on  the  ground." 

Ever  since  that  time  snails  have  been  blind.  They 
have  to  creep  slowly  over  the  ground. 


130 


QF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


HOW    COYOTE    WAS  KILLED 

COYOTE  had  done  many  things.  Fire  he  had 
stolen  from  Skookums  and  salmon  he  had 
given  to  the  Indians.  Therefore  Coyote, 
thinking  very  highly  of  himself,  wanted  to  travel  to 
the  sky  world. 

Now  Star  came  every  night  very  close  to  Coyote. 
Coyote  lived  above  the  clouds,  on  a  mountain  top. 
Therefore  Coyote  said  to  Star,  "  Take  me  with 
you."  Star  only  laughed.  Thus  Coyote  was  angry. 
Coyote  said  every  night  when  Star  came,  "  Take  me 
with  you  into  the  sky."  But  Star  only  laughed. 
Then  Coyote  howled  at  Star. 

At  last  Star  said,  "  To-morrow  night  I  will  take 
you  to  the  sky  world." 

Next  night  Star  came  again  to  the  mountain.  Star 
came  quite  close  to  Coyote.  Then  Coyote  leaped  far 
and  caught  on  the  edge  of  Star.  So  they  travelled 
through  the  sky  world.  Star  climbed  higher  and 
higher.  Coyote  looked  down.  The  tall  firs  of  the 
forest  were  only  as  large  as  arrows.  Then  Coyote 
became  cold,  travelling  high  in  the  sky  world.  Star 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

was  not  warm  like  Sun.  Coyote  became  so  cold  he 
could  not  hold  on.  His  paws  slipped  and  he  fell. 
Coyote  fell  far  to  the  earth  below  him.  For  ten  snows 
he  fell.  When  Coyote  struck  the  earth  he  was  crushed 
as  flat  as  a  willow  mat.  Thus  Coyote  was  killed. 


132 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


OLD    GRIZZLY   AND    OLD 
ANTELOPE 

Klamath  Lake  Indians 

OLD  GRIZZLY  lived  with  Old  Antelope. 
Grizzly  had  two  children.  Antelope  also 
had  two  children.  One  morning  early  they 
went  to  dig  ipo  roots,  leaving  their  children  at  home. 
Old  Antelope  filled  her  basket  before  Old  Grizzly 
had  dug  any  ipo  root.  Old  Grizzly  kept  on  eating 
them  up.  Then  they  returned  homeward.  Again 
next  day  they  went  out  to  dig  ipo,  and  again  Old 
Antelope  sooner  filled  her  basket.  Old  Grizzly  dug 
little.  After  their  return  they  each  gave  ipo  to  their 
children.  Then  Old  Grizzly  thus  enjoined  her 
cubs : 

"  Ye  shall  not  skip  down  from  the  lodge ;  the 
livers  to  ye  would  get  loose.  Ye  shall  not  jump 
over  the  logs ;  ye  would  run  against  some  sticks. 
Ye  shall  not  dive  under  the  water ;  smothering,  ye 
might  die/' 

Now  again  Old  Grizzly  next  morning  went  again 
with  Old  Antelope  to  dig  roots.  Old  Antelope  soon 

'33 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 

filled  the  basket,  Old  Grizzly  having  dug  little. 
Then  Old  Grizzly  went  to  Old  Antelope.  She 
begged  :  "  Insects  bite  me." 

Old  Antelope  said,  "  A  while  from  now  I  will  bite 
you,  when  we  have  returned  homeward." 

Again  Old  Grizzly  declared :  "  Insects  bite  me 
very  hard  in  my  fur." 

After  a  while  Old  Antelope  bit  into  the  fur  of 
Old  Grizzly  to  kill  the  insects.  Then  Old  Grizzly 
wanted  also  to  bite  into  the  fur  of  Old  Antelope. 
Old  Grizzly  put  ipo  roots  into  her  mouth.  Crunch- 
ing them,  she  pretended  to  bite  insects,  cracking 
them.  Then  she  bit  Old  Antelope  through  the  neck. 
She  killed  her  in  this  manner,  then  cut  her  up  wholly. 
All  the  ipo  roots  of  Old  Antelope  she  put  in  her 
basket,  placing  the  meat  on  top.  This  she  stuck  on 
the  top  of  a  pole.  A  small  portion  of  the  meat  she 
took  home  and  gave  to  her  children.  Also  to  Old 
Antelope's  children  she  gave  meat. 

The  younger  said,  "  But  it  tastes  like  our  mother." 

The  elder  pushed  her :   "  Be  silent.     Say  not  so." 

They  saved  the  meat  to  eat  until  the  next  day. 

Meanwhile  Old  Grizzly  explained :  "  Your  mother 
gave  the  Indians  much  meat,  where  she  passed  the 
night ;  but  to  me  they  gave  only  a  little.  To-morrow 
I  shall  go  to  look  for  your  absent  mother." 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

Early  next  morning  Old  Grizzly  started  out  to 
fetch  the  meat.  Then  the  young  antelopes  said  to 
the  grizzly  cubs,  "  Let  us  skip  down  from  the 
house." 

Bear  cubs  said,  "  Our  mother  wants  us  not  to  skip 
down.  Our  livers  might  get  loose." 

Young  antelopes  again  said,  "  Look  here !  We 
will  jump  over  logs." 

One  cub  said,  "Our  mother  wants  us  not  to 
jump  over  logs.  We  might  run  against  tree 
limbs." 

Again  a  young  antelope  said,  "Look  here!  Let 
us  dive." 

The  cub  said,  "  Our  mother  wants  us  not  to 
plunge  in  the  water  ;  smothering,  we  might  die." 

The  young  antelopes  asked  only  once  more, 
"  Look  here  !  Let  us  play  *  smoke  out.'  ' 

The  cub  said,  "Our  mother  told  us  not  about 
this.  Here  we  will  play  this." 

The  young  antelopes  threw  rotten  wood  into  the 
lodge,  and  went  into  it  first.  The  bear  cubs  put  the 
cover  on.  The  young  antelopes  said,  "  Pretty  soon 
you  must  open  again." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  cubs. 

Soon  the  young  antelopes  cried:  "  Two  smoke  in, 
two  smoke  out ;  two  smoke  in,  two  smoke  out,  .  .  . 

135 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

smother,  smother;  oh  !  oh !  "  Then  the  cubs  opened 
the  cover.  The  young  antelopes  went  out. 

Then  the  cubs  went  in,  saying,  "  Pretty  soon  ye 
must  uncover." 

"Yes,"  said  the  young  antelopes. 

The  cubs  cried :  "  Smoke  in,  smoke  out ;  smoke 
in,  ...  smother,  smother !  " 

Again  the  young  antelopes  went  into  the  lodge. 
"  Two  smoke  in,  two  smoke  out,  .  .  .  smoke, 
smoke ! "  The  cubs  uncovered  and  the  antelopes 
came  out. 

The  cubs  again  ran  into  the  lodge.  "  Two  smoke 
in,  two  smoke  out,  .  .  .  smother,  smother ! "  This 
time  the  young  antelopes  would  not  uncover  for  the 
cubs. 

After  their  death  the  young  antelopes  uncovered 
the  lodge.  Then  taking  out  the  cubs,  red  paint 
they  lined  in  their  faces.  Gagging  the  nose  of  the 
elder,  they  lifted  it  up  to  the  top  of  the  lodge. 
Gagging  the  mouth  of  the  younger,  they  fastened 
it  on  the  lodge  ladder.  Then  they  went  into  the 
fireplace.  Every  article  they  enjoined  not  to  report 
to  Old  Grizzly  when  she  returned.  The  bone  awl 
alone  they  forgot  as  it  stuck  in  the  roof. 

After  a  while  Old  Grizzly  returned,  being  ahead 

of  herself.     Angered  at  their  having  wasted  red  paint, 

136 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

she  said,  "  They  have  wasted  my  red  paint  which  I 
stole  from  the  Indians.  Then  approaching  nearer 
she  saw  the  cubs  to  be  dead.  Sobbing,  she  said, 
"  Now  the  children  of  Old  Antelope  have  punished 


me/3 


To  the  young  antelopes  she  called,  "  Where 
are  ye,  children  ?  " 

The  children  replied  to  Old  Grizzly:  "Right 
here  we  are,  sitting  in  the  sunshine." 

Old  Grizzly  ran  out  to  where  now  the  children 
were  sitting.  But  again  the  children  spoke  toward 
the  mud  house  in  reply  to  Old  Grizzly.  Again 
Old  Grizzly  ran  into  it. 

"  Children ! " 

Again  the  young  antelopes  replied  to  Old  Grizzly  : 
"  Here  we  play,  out  of  doors.  You  do  not  find  us." 

Grizzly  thought  it  was  the  voices  of  the  children. 
But  the  articles  enjoined  by  the  children  had  done 
as  they  had  been  told,  and  had  answered  her. 

But  after  some  time,  the  bone  awl  Shakta,  which 
had  stuck  in  the  ceiling  and  had  been  forgotten,  said, 
"  Long  ago  the  children  whom  you  look  for  went 
away." 

Old  Grizzly  said,  "Which  way,  then,  travelled 
they  ?" 

And   the  awl  Shakta  told    Grizzly:     "Through 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS 

here    they    crawled;     and    here   they   placed    coals 
against  the   opening/' 

Then  Old  Grizzly  attempted  to  crawl  through  the 
hole,  to  follow  the  children.  She  could  not  crawl 
through.  Finally  she  broke  through  and  went  on 
her  way  crying  :  "  Rotten  wood,  rotten  wood  breaks 
easily.  Rotten  wood,  rotten  wood  breaks  through." 
Walking,  Old  Grizzly  wept  thus.  Then  she  said, 
"Where  are  ye?  I  am  going  to  find  the  children." 
She  said  this  repeatedly  while  walking. 

Finally  she  overtook  the  young  antelopes  while 
they  camped  in  a  cave,  but  she  did  not  see  them. 
Building  a  large  fire  she  lay  down.  Now  the 
children  became  aware  that  Old  Grizzly  had  over- 
taken them  ;  and  the  elder  antelope  woke  up  the 
younger  one. 

"  Now  she  has  caught  up  with  us,"  she  said  to  the 
younger,  and  woke  up  the  little  one. 

Old  Grizzly  went  to  sleep  lying  near  the  fire. 
"  To-morrow  at  last  I  will  play  a  game  with  ye 
children  in  daytime,  seeing  more  sharply  then."  So 
speaking  and  lying  down  she  went  to  sleep. 

Then  the  young  antelopes  threw  sticks  at  the 
sleeping  one.  They  threw  them  to  try  whether  she 
was  asleep.  But  she  not  moving,  they  ran  out  of  the 

cave  at  a  quick  pace. 

138 


Copyrighted  by  F.  H.  Novell 


ALASKAN  BASKETS 


OF   THE    PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

Afraid  that  Old  Grizzly  might  overtake  them, 
they  hallooed  to  Old  Crane,  Shukamtchash,  who, 
fishing  minnows,  skirted  the  water.  "  Cross  us 
over,  uncle,  very  fast.  She  is  chasing  us  and  will 
overtake  us  now."  Old  Crane  crossed  them  over. 
The  young  antelopes  explained  to  Old  Crane.  Then 
Old  Crane  blew  them  into  a  whistle  stick  and  hung 
them  up  in  the  lodge,  but  they  rattled  for  fear.  At 
the  message  of  the  young  antelopes  that  Old  Ante- 
lope was  killed  by  Old  Grizzly,  Old  Crane  and  the 
young  ones,  too,  wept. 

Old  Crane  wept,  crying,  "  Lake  water,  lake  water." 

The  young  cranes  also  wept,  crying,  "  Lake 
wa-wa- water." 

Now  Old  Grizzly,  awakening  after  a  time,  looked 
around  the  cave.  "  I  shall  play  a  rather  hard  game 
with  the  children  in  the  daytime,  when  able  to  see 
better.  Long  ago,  after  they  left  the  cave,  they 
reached  Old  Crane's  home."  So  Old  Grizzly  started 
to  follow  the  young  antelopes ;  the  tracks  of  them 
she  followed. 

Reaching  the  river,  she  asked  Old  Crane,  "  Have 
you  seen  the  children  ? " 

Old  Crane  said,  "Not  I  saw  the  children." 

Yet  here  were  the  out-going  tracks  of  the  children 
having  reached  there. 

139 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

So  Old  Grizzly  hallooed :  "  You  want  to  conceal 
them  then.  Set  me  over  quickly." 

Old  Crane  said,  "  I  have  no  canoe." 

Again  said  Old  Grizzly,  "  Quickly  cross  me  over ; 
fast  set  me  over." 

After  a  while  Old  Crane  spread  out  his  legs,  one 
leg  carrying  a  drinking  cup,  and  let  Old  Grizzly  use 
it  as  a  bridge.  Old  Grizzly  stepped  on  his  leg. 
Coming  to  the  midst  of  the  river,  she  drank  water 
from  the  drinking  cup.  And  to  shake  out  the  water, 
after  drinking,  she  struck  Old  Crane's  leg  with  the 
drinking  cup.  Old  Crane,  angered,  doused  Old 
Grizzly  into  the  water.  Then  fetching  a  bow  from 
home,  Old  Crane  shot  Old  Grizzly.  Then  the 
young  antelopes  came  out  of  the  whistle.  With 
bows  and  arrows  borrowed  from  the  Crane  children, 
they  shot  Old  Grizzly.  Thus  they  killed  her. 


140 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


LEGEND    OF    THE    KLICKITAT    BASKET 

Klickitat 

SHADE  told  the  first  weaver  to  weave  tooksi, 
the  basket.  Weaver  said,  "  I  do  not  know 
how."  But  she  went  to  the  forest.  She 
thought  for  a  long  time  how  to  weave  tooksi.  Then 
she  gathered  the  plant  yi,  with  squaw  grass,  elk 
grass,  pine  grass,  and  noo-wi-ash,  the  red  cedar  roots. 
Then  Weaver  began  to  work.  She  worked  very 
hard  for  many  days.  Then  tooksi,  the  basket,  was 
finished.  Weaver  carried  it  to  the  lake.  She  dipped 
it  full  of  water,  but  the  water  leaked  out. 

Shade  said,  "  It  will  not  do.  Weave  again. 
Weave  a  tight  basket  with  a  pattern  in  it."  Weaver 
was  very  sorrowful.  Weaver  sat  by  the  lake  mourn- 
ing. At  last,  in  the  clear  water,  Weaver  saw  the 
pattern,  chato-timus.  Then  Weaver  was  happy 
again. 

She  went  again  into  the  deep  forest  and  pulled  up 
noo-wi-ash,  the  red  cedar  roots.  Then  Weaver  began 
to  work.  She  worked  very  hard  for  many  days. 

Then    tooksi,    the    basket,    was    finished.     Weaver 

141 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS 

carried  it  to  the  lake.  She  dipped  it  full  of  water. 
This  time  the  water  did  not  leak  out.  The  basket 
was  tight  and  it  had  a  pattern  on  it,  as  Shade  had  told 
her.  Other  weavers  learned  the  pattern.  Thus  the 
Klickitats  have  plenty  of  baskets.  They  do  not  leak 
and  they  have  a  pattern  in  them. 


142 


OF   THE    PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 


o 


THE   NORTHERN   LIGHTS 

Wabanski 

LD  CHIEF  M'SARTTO,  Morning  Star, 
had  one  son  only,  so  different  from  other 
boys  of  the  tribe  as  to  be  worry  to  Old 
Chief.  He  would  not  stay  and  play  with  the  others, 
but  would  take  his  bow  and  arrows  and  leave  home 
for  days  at  a  time,  always  going  toward  the  North. 
When  he  come  home,  they  say,  *  Where  you  been  ? 
What  you  see  ? '  But  he  say  nothing. 

"At  last  Old  Chief  say  his  wife,  *  That  boy  must 
be  watched.  I  will  follow  him.' 

"  So  next  time  Chief  M'Sartto  kept  in  his  trail 
and  travel  for  long  time.  Suddenly  his  eyes  close 
an'  he  could  not  hear.  He  had  a  curious  feeling, 
then  know  nothing.  By'm-by  his  eyes  open  in  a 
queer  light  country,  no  sun,  no  moon,  no  stars, 
but  country  all  lighted  by  strange  light.  He  saw 
many  beings,  but  all  different  from  his  people. 
They  gather  'round  and  try  to  talk,  but  he  not 
understand  their  language.  M'Sartto  did  not  know 
where  to  go  or  what  to  do.  He  well  treated  by  this 

H3 


MYTHS  AND    LEGENDS 

strange  tribe.  He  watch  their  games  and  was 
'tracted  to  wonderful  game  of  ball  he  never  saw 
before.  It  seemed  to  turn  the  light  to  many  colors 
and  players  all  had  lights  on  their  heads  and  all  wore 
very  curious  belts  called  Menquan,  or  Rainbow  belts. 

"In  few  days  an  old  man  came  and  speak  to 
M'Sartto  in  his  own  language  and  ask  him  if  he 
know  where  he  was. 

"  Old  Chief  say,  <  No/ 

"Then  old  man  say,  'You  are  in  country  of 
Wa-ba-ban,  Northern  Lights.  I  came  here  many 
years  ago.  I  was  the  only  one  here  from  the 
"  Lower  Country  "  as  we  call  it ;  but  now  there  is 
a  boy  comes  to  visit  us  every  few  days/ 

"Then  M'Sartto  asked  how  old  man  got  there, 
what  way  he  come. 

"  Old  man  say, '  I  follow  path  called  Spirits'  Path, 
Ket-a-gus-wowt,  —  Milky  Way/ 

" '  This  must  be  path  I  come/  said  Old  Chief. 
'  Did  you  have  queer  feeling  as  if  you  lost  all  knowl- 
edge when  you  travelled  ? ' 

" '  Yes/  say  old  man,  '  I  could  not  hear  or  see/ 

"Then  say  M'Sartto,  *We  did  come  by  same 
path.  Can  you  tell  me  how  I  get  home  again  ? ' 

"  *  Yes,  Chief  of  Wa-ba-ban  will  send  you  home 

safe/  v 

144 


OF   THE   PACIFIC   NORTHWEST 

"  « Well,  can  you  tell   me  where  I  can  see  my 
boy?  —  the   boy   that   comes   here  to  visit   you   is 


mine/ 


"  Then  old  man  tell  M'Sartto,  *  You  will  see  him 
playing  ball  if  you  watch/ 

"  Chief  M'Sartto  very  glad  to  hear  this,  and  when 
man  went  round  to  tepees  telling  all  to  go  have  ball 
game,  M'Sartto  went  too.  When  game  began  he 
saw  many  beautiful  colors. 

"  Old  man  ask  him,  *  Do  you  see  your  boy  there  ?' 

"  Old  Chief  said  he  did.  « The  one  with  the 
brightest  light  is  my  son/ 

"  Then  they  went  to  Chief  of  Northern  Lights, 
and  old  man  said,  *  Chief  of  Lower  Country  wants 
to  go  home  and  also  wants  his  boy/ 

"  So  Chief  of  Northern  Lights  calls  his  people 
together  to  bid  good-bye  to  M'Sartto  and  his  son ; 
then  ordered  two  K/che  Sippe,  Great  Birds,  to 
carry  them  home.  When  they  went  travelling 
Milky  Way  he  felt  the  same  strange  way  he  did 
when  going  and  when  he  came  to  his  sense  he 
found  himself  near  home.  His  wife  very  glad  he 
come,  for  when  boy  told  her  his  father  was  safe 
she  pay  no  notice,  as  she  afraid  M'Sartto  was  lost/' 

THE  END 


Of    rHe     " 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 


LOAN  DEPT 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 
on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 


Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


MAY21'64-3 


REC'D  LD  MAY  1 


H1N  "  2  1971  7  I 


971-8PM12 


Berkeley 


YC  27790 


:*•• 


